Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - ringwork
Rathealy, County Kilkenny, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Rathealy
- County
- Kilkenny
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Hachured
- Latest-edition OS map
- Hachured
- Coordinates
- 52.69472, -7.43264
- SMR number
- KK013-059001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1904 · Sheet 13. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On the W side of a NW-SE valley, a little below the crest of the ridge in reclaimed grassland. The ridge is situated between two parallel valleys. W of the ringwork the land drops away slightly before rising again to the crest of the ridge. Very fine views in all directions. A church (KK013-060001-) and graveyard (KK013-060002-) lie c. 60m to the SE. Monument consists of a raised circular area (diam. 42m N-S; 47m E-W) enclosed by a broad bank (int. H 0.8-1m; Wth 5m; ext. H 3.5-4.5m); steep-side flat-bottomed fosse (Wth 6m); intervening bank (int. H 2.3; ext. H 1.8m; Wth 7m); outer fosse (Wth 2.5m) and outer bank (int. H 1.5m; ext. H 1.5m; Wth 2m). The latter fosse and bank are only apparent in the S-SW quadrant. In the SW sector this outer bank splays out before terminating, with a depression in the bank that is probably the result of later interference. A field boundary runs NE-SW along the northern portion, it kinks out to avoid the monument but may incorporate some of the outermost bank. There are the remains of four rectangular buildings (KK013-059002-; KK013-059004-; KK013-059005-; KK013-059006-) within the interior. There is an entrance (Wth 1.9m at inner bank) in the E quadrant, though the entrance area of the outer bank has been damaged by quarrying activity. Immediately inside the entrance, on the S side, there is a square depression (dims. 4.5m x 4.3m; D c. 1m) which may be another structure such as a guard house. There is another pit (dims. 3m x 3m; D 0.7m) in the interior near the bank in the SW quadrant. There may be a possible souterrain (KK013-059003-) within the ringwork as Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 496) mentions that ‘there is a cave or underground chamber’ beneath the buildings in the interior.
(National Monument no. 376)
The attached image is uploaded courtesy of Simon Dowling.
KK013-059001-_01.jpg Aerial view of ringwork and internal features (Photograph: S. Dowling, 30 December 2014).
Compiled by: Jean Farrelly
Date of upload: 24 June 2015
References
Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.
Nearby in the register
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
- House - medievalunder 1 mi
- Buildingunder 1 mi
- Buildingunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.