Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In an elevated area of rough, undulating pasture and 165m NE of a townland boundary with Brackyle. Depicted on the 1897 ed. OS 25-inch map as an oval-shaped earthwork. Described by O’Dwyer (1959, 78) as a low platform (diam. 72ft/22m) defined by a ditch and a low outer bank, with part of the SE side levelled out; an entrance is not recognisable. Possible bivallate ringfort surveyed by the ASI in 2008 and described as a raised oval-shaped area (20m NW-SE; 16m NE-SW) enclosed by a bank, an intervening fosse and an outer bank. The bank (Wth 3.7m; int. H 0.15m; ext. H 0.6m) is present from N-E-SE and is reduced to a scarp (Wth 2m; H 0.75m) from SE-S-W. An intervening fosse (overall Wth 4.5m; basal Wth 0.9m; D 0.5m) is visible from N-E-SSE. The remains of an external bank (Wth 7.6m; int. H 0.5m; ext. H 0.3m) are visible from N-E-SSE. A curvilinear feature (L 44m; Wth 1.2m; H 0.3m) extends from the outer bank at NE and may be associated with drainage work as fluvial activity is evident on the field surface. Monument is visible as a roughly oval-shaped tree-planted earthwork on OSi orthoimage taken 2005-2012, on Digital Globe orthoimage taken 2011-2013 and on Google Earth orthoimage taken 28/06/2018.

See attached a profile of monument drawn by O’Dwyer in 1959, a sketch plan and partial cross-section which was measured and drawn by the ASI in 2008 and a Google Earth orthoimage taken 28/06/2018.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 27 September 2020

References

O'Dwyer, M. 1958-61 A survey of the earthworks in Old Pallasgrean, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 8, 69-78, 111-15.