Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 45m N-S, 35m E-W
This oval rath, with souterrain, lies at the junction of 4 fields on a gentle N facing slope. It is enclosed by an earthen bank up to 1.2m high internally and 2m high externally. A laneway skirts the E half of the enclosure. A 2nd outer bank is present, 5m beyond the inner one, in the NW quadrant, but this may be a later feature. It is 1.5m high and composed of earth with a facing of neat drystone walling. A blocked gap in the inner bank at S may be the original entrance, but, at present, access is provided by gaps at NE and SW. When the laneway was being widened about 9 years ago, a souterrain was discovered outside the bank in the S sector, but was subsequently covered over again. It consisted of 2 circular, beehive-shaped chambers connected by a passage. Neither chamber was high enough to provide standing room.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 353. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 6 August 2013