Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 22m N-S, 21.8m E-W
Keel Fort, St Kieran's Fort/Ráth Ciaráin: This circular bivallate rath is located in pasture on the NE side of St Finan's Bay. Its interior contains the foundations of a circular hut. The low outer bank and fosse are extant from S to NNE, though a modern field boundary overlies a section of the bank at NW. This bank rises up to .9m above external ground level, is 1.6m wide, and, at N, falls 2.8m to the base of the 4m wide fosse. The well-preserved inner bank is composed of earth and stone, and falls .9m on average to the rath's interior. It is up to 4m in basal width and intermittent short stretches of stone facing are visible externally along the NE sector. An ill-defined gap, 2m wide, occurs at E and may represent the original entrance.

Centrally located within the site are the remains of a circular hut (KE096-006001-) with an average internal diameter of 6m. Its sod-covered drystone wall averages .5m high and 2.2m wide. A gap at E may mark the location of its entrance. The rath is locally reputed to contain a souterrain (KE096-006002-), though no surface indications of this are apparent.

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

Date of upload: 29 July 2013