Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ringfort - rath
Ballyledder, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ballyledder
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- Latest-edition OS map
- Lispadrickmore
- Coordinates
- 52.04615, -9.73847
- SMR number
- KE065-085----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Internal diam. 31m N-S, 30m E-W
Lispadrickmore/Lios Phádraig Mhóir: This site is also recorded as Lissbaunbalia/Lios Bhun an Bhaile in the OSNB (Knockane, 10). It is indicated on the OS maps as a bivallate circular enclosure and is located on the N foothills of Cloghfaunaglibbaun mountain, affording broad views over the low-lying plains S of the Laune river. Cooke described both banks as 'defaced'. The outer bank then stood up to 5 feet (1.5m) high externally (1906, 5), but has since been levelled. The intervening flat-bottomed fosse is best preserved at S and SW, where it measures 1.5m wide and .8m deep; slight traces of it are also visible from N to E. The largely earthen inner bank is disturbed at N and a modern fence follows its outline along the S half of the site. At SW it reaches a height of 3.1m above the base of the fosse and it falls 1.95m to the interior; here it averages 4m in basal width. The interior of the site slopes down gently towards SE. A disturbed gap at NW, 7.45m wide, may represent the location of the original entrance.
Cooke described a stone-built souterrain (KE065-085001-) in this rath, accessible through an opening near its centre (ibid. 6). In the late 1970s another opening to a souterrain was noted near the entrance gap (local information). Neither of the openings are now apparent. Cooke described a linear arrangement of four chambers, linked by narrow creepways, which extended 57 feet (17.4m) from the centre of the site towards ENE. The corbelled side-walls of each chamber were of drystone construction, and they supported roofing lintels. The chambers varied from 1.8m to 4.3m long and were on average 1.2m wide and 1.7m high. The three creepways averaged .92m long, .38m wide and .49m high.
The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 461. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload: 28 July 2013
Nearby in the register
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.