Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

One of a group of four raths on the E slopes of Bentee mountain, this univallate enclosure has been severely disturbed. The construction of a trackway in the 1950s resulted in the levelling of the enclosing element at S. The outline of the earthen bank and external fosse are best preserved from W to N and are only barely traceable from N to E. The fosse is 2.2m wide and has been re-cut to serve as a drain at E. The bank rises to an external height of 1.5m, is 2.3m wide and drops .5m to the interior. Stone facing occurs in places along its flanks and appears to be secondary.
A possible hut site (KE079-053002-) occurs in the SW quadrant of the rath. It survives as a low stony sod-covered mound with a central depression measuring 4.1m across. There is no visible trace of the 'Cave' marked in this quadrant of the site on the OS maps. It was noted by Henry as a souterrain (KE079-053001-), located at the SW side of the hut (1957, 74).

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. 480. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 28 July 2013