Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 26.5M
This circular univallate rath with souterrain lies on a NW facing slope overlooking the entrance to the Trabeg inlet. A shallow fosse is present around much of the W half of the enclosure and a stream skirts the SE sector. The fosse is no more than .5m deep. The bank rises up to 3.25m above the fosse and 2m above the interior. Its inner flank is faced with drystone masonry. A 5.5m wide break in the bank at S probably marks the original entrance and a 3m wide break at NNW appears to be secondary.
The S part of the interior is occupied by an oval feature enclosed along its N side by a .75m high bank and along its S side by a drop of .75m from the general ground level in the rath interior. It measures c. 21.5m E-W x 8m N-S. A stone-lined hole at its S end may relate to the souterrain noted in the OSNB (Kinard, 19). A large slab of stone set into the outer face of the bank, on the W side of the entrance, may also be related. Tobernastellagh (KE053-081001-) lies directly outside the enclosure at SW.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 485. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 7 August 2013