Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 30m
Lisgarve/An Lios Garbh: A bivallate rath situated on the E slopes of Knockavrogeen, with an excellent view along the valley of the Milltown river and across Dingle Harbour to the Iveragh Peninsula. The circular interior is enclosed by 2 earthen banks separated by a fosse, the outer bank being preserved only around the S half of the site. The outer bank rises 1 to 1.5m above the external ground level, .25 to 1.5m above the fosse and is 2.8 to 5.5m wide at base. The fosse is c. 3.5m wide. The inner bank rises up to 1.5m above the interior and 2.5m above the fosse; it is c. 4m wide at base. Access to the interior is provided by gaps in the inner and outer banks at E and by a corresponding causeway across the fosse. The gaps are 2.1m and 3.3m wide respectively. A number of other small breaks in the banks appear to have been caused by animals.
The interior has been much disturbed by the roots of trees and by the dumping of field clearance debris. A number of low mounds in the N sector suggest the former presence of structures of some kind, but the remains are too ruined to allow definite classification. Some very short stretches of drystone masonry, on the inner face of the bank here, may be the remains of the walls of these structures. One section, which forms part of a roughly circular structure abutting the bank at N, is .7m high and slightly corbelled. Some of these mounds may be related to the souterrain which is reputedly contained within the fort.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 487. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 7 August 2013