Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. c. 22.
This site is situated in rough marshy land, at the head of the narrow valley that extends NE from Dingle town. It consists of an irregular but roughly circular area, enclosed for the most part by a stone wall, up to 1.75m high, but to SE and S by a low earthen bank. The wall is similar in construction to adjacent field fences and is probably secondary. The bank is c. 0.35m high internally, c. 0.55m high externally and 1.95m wide at base. There are a number of small breaks through the bank and one, measuring .7 to 1.5m wide, is provided with a low threshold slab. There is a 1.25m wide entrance through the later wall at NE.
The interior of the site is uneven and overgrown with vegetation. There are heaps of stone in the NE sector but these do not form any recognisable pattern. An inaccessible souterrain (KE043-225001-) in the W sector consists of a hollow, 3m long E-W and .3 to .55m deep, with a large stone, probably a roofing slab, at its W end. A passage appears to run W from an opening beneath this stone, but it is now filled in and could not be inspected.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 294. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 6 August 2013