Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 32m N-S, 34.3m E-W
Not marked on the OS maps, this circular univallate rath is located close to the S shore of Valencia Island, near Reenarea Point, from where it commands fine prospects along the length of Portmagee Channel. The enclosing bank, composed of earth and some small stone, is quite eroded. The external fosse is flat-bottomed and is best preserved at SE and S. Here, it averages 2.9m wide and .25m deep below external ground level. The bank survives best along the E sector, where it is .7m high, both externally and internally, and has a basal width of 3.7m. Two gaps occur in the bank at ESE and WSW. That at ESE, 7m wide, may represent the original entrance; the fosse cannot be traced at this point. A series of cultivation ridges occupies the interior of the rath.

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

Date of upload: 28 July 2013