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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ringfort - rath

Gortroe (Connello Lower By.), County Limerick, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ringfort - rath, Gortroe, County Limerick, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Gortroe (Connello Lower By.)
County
Limerick
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Hachured
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured (1923)
Coordinates
52.53158, -9.01006
SMR number
LI019-214----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David 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)
  • 1883 · Ireland 3. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, on gentle NE-facing slope. Site is depicted on 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map as an embanked circular enclosure (ext. diam. c. 40m; int. diam. c. 29m) bisected by a public road on a SW-NE axis. Monument bisected by road, depicted on the 1897 ed. OSi 25-inch map as a circular-shaped area (diam. c. 29m) enclosed by a bank and external fosse from SSW-W-N which has been reduced to a scarp elsewhere. No surface trace of enclosure was visible on NW side of road at time of inspection. On SE side of road a scarped edge (H 0.35m; Wth 2.5m) can just be traced NE->SW in field covered by tall grass, defining a D-shaped area (22.5m from road to scarped edge NW-SE). Interior, covered by tall grass, slopes down to NE following gradient of surrounding terrain.
Site recently revisited by Sarah McCutcheon after a period of prolonged dry summer weather and the cropmark of the ditch of the levelled earthwork was visible on the E half of the monument, while the outline of a much degraded low bank was visible on the W half of the monument.

See attached sketch plan and photographs provided courtesy of Sarah McCutcheon, Limerick Local Authority Archaeologist

Compiled by: Denis Power

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Sarah McCutcheon

Date of revised upload: 24 August 2022

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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