Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 24.85m E-W
This circular rath is located on gently sloping boggy pasture, broken by rock outcrop, and overlooks the confluence of the Kealduff and Blackwater rivers. The site is poorly preserved and heavily overgrown. Much of its S downslope side is defined by a 2m high scarp, but elsewhere it is enclosed by a bank of earth and stone. This has an external height of 1.75m, falls .95m to the interior and has a basal width of 2.6m. It is revetted internally and externally by an intermittent facing of rough drystone coursing, and slabs set on edge occur for short stretches internally at E and W. The bank is gapped and broken in places by animal-tracks and the original entrance cannot be identified. Field walls radiate out from it at N and E. A shallow external fosse can be traced from S to W. This is 1.25m wide and .5m deep below external ground level.

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

Date of upload: 29 July 2013