Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 26m NW-SE
Not marked on the OS maps, this ruined rath is located on a low rise on the W side of a small valley which stretches S towards Coongar Harbour, affording views of Kenmare Bay and the Beara Peninsula beyond. The site is covered by a dense layer of vegetation and an E-W field boundary has obliterated a large section of the enclosing bank at N. The bank, composed of earth and small stones, averages .55m high externally, .6m high internally and 1.3m in basal width. It is very eroded and is gapped in many places, though the original entrance is not clearly identifiable. Traces of a shallow external fosse are inter­mittently present, measuring 2m wide and .25m deep below external ground level. There are a few ill-defined stone scatters in the interior of the rath. A large amount of field clearance material has been dumped against the external face of the bank as S.

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

Date of upload: 29 July 2013