Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 32.45m N-S, 26.75m E-W. This subcircular univallate rath is located in a prominent position on the lower SE slopes of Coad mountain, overlooking Kenmare Bay to S. Its well-preserved bank is composed of earth and gravel and is intermittently revetted with drystone facing, now much collapsed, along its inner flank. Short stretches of this facing at N and SE consist of block-like slabs set in rough courses and offset to form a step, .6m high. The bank has an internal height of 1.75m at E, while at S it is almost flush with the level of the rath's interior. It averages 7m in basal width and steeply falls 5m to the flat-bottomed fosse below. This fosse contains a tangled mass of undergrowth and measures c. 3m wide at base and 1.1m deep below external ground level. It has been largely infilled at S, and modern field boundaries skirt most of its outer edge. A causeway, 4.15m long and 1.65m wide, crosses the fosse at E and leads to an entrance gap which is drystone-faced and features some very large basal blocks.
A spread of loose stones in the centre of the rath, 13m x 10m, may indicate the remains of a structure (KE106-033001-). Abutting the inner face of the bank at N is a semicircular arrangement of stone, possibly the foundations of a hut. It measures 5.4m x 4m and features some upright slabs. A souterrain was discovered in this fort in 1995 (KE106-033002-).

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

Updated by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 13 October 2014