Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 25m N-S, 27m E-W
This poorly preserved univallate rath is located on the W bank of a tributary of the Oghermong river and affords an excellent view from S to W of Ballinskelligs Bay and Valencia Harbour. A N-S roadway bisects the site. The enclosing element at E is gapped in several places. At W the bank rises 2.3m externally and 2m internally. It has an average basal width of 4.1m and features a possible entrance gap at W, 2.1m wide. The bank is composed of earth and gravel and is intermittently revetted internally with upright slabs and horizontal coursing.
An oblong-shaped mound occurs within the SW quadrant of the rath's interior. It may be sod-covered upcast from the roadway. Elsewhere, the interior is rather bumpy and uneven. A lintelled opening to a souterrain (KE079-069001-) occurs at the inner base of the bank at NW. The souterrain, though not accessible, appears to run N beneath the bank. The external face of the bank bulges at this point.

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

Date of upload: 29 July 2013