Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In reclaimed pasture 25m W of road that marks the townland boundary with Treanmanagh. Earthwork (LI033-095----) 85m to NW. Not depicted as an antiquity on 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map but shown as an irregular-shaped field (dims. 41m N-S, 22m E-S) defined by a field boundary within landscaped field system associated with the estate lands of Derk House to N and Ballyneety House to S. The area immediately to N and E is annotated ‘Palatine Street’.
Depicted on OSi 25-inch map as a circular-shaped area (dims. 34m NW-SE, 30m NE-SW) enclosed by a bank truncated at NE by L shaped post-1700 field boundary. Surveyed by the ASI in 2007 and described as a roughly circular-shaped area (dims. 25m NW-SE, 22m NE-SW) defined by a scarp (Wth 3.5m; H 0.75m) with fosse (Wth 7.4m; D 0.65m) and outer bank (Wth 4m; int. H 0.65m; ext. H 0.5m) visible from ESE-N only. Causewayed gap (Wth 9m) at ENE with further beaches (Wth 4m; 1.8m) at SE and WSW respectively. Fosse best preserved from SE-S-W-N. Outer bank denuded from SW-W-N.
Monument described in 1960-4 as follows; ‘Platform 93 feet (28.3m) in diameter and 3 feet 6 inches (1.1m) high. Encircling ditch 9 feet (2.7m) wide and with a 12 feet (3.65m) wide outer bank. This earthwork is very well preserved. Marked on the O.S. map where adjacent area is named ‘Palatine Street’; the district is locally known as Palatine’ (O’Dwyer 1964, 95; Ballyneety North 59). Partially overgrown monument truncated by field boundary at NE visible on OSi orthophoto taken between 2005-12 and on Google Earth orthoimage dated 18/11/2018.

See attached Google Earth orthoimages and profile of monument drawn by O'Dwyer 1964

Compiled by: Martin Fitzpatrick

Date of upload: 30 March 2021

References

O'Dwyer, M. 1964 A Survey of the earthworks of the district of Old Pallasgrean (concluded). North Munster Antiquarian Journal 9, 94-8.