Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In N corner of field in rough pasture, in N quadrant of an archaeological complex (LI048-034006/042-) located on the 'Supposed Site of Temaír Erann', which was the ancient cemetery of the Ernai tribe on Slievereagh (Sliabh Riabhach) (Westropp 1919, 9; Westropp 1917-19, 179; Westropp 1918, 111). Poorly preserved ringfort stands inside a large field system (LI048-034001-), with earthwork (LI048-034036-) immediately to SE and ringfort (LI048-034006-, Nat. Mon. No. 663) 20m to the E.
Listed as Ringfort No. 10 in the ‘Northern Group’ of forts excavated by Ó Ríordáin (1940, 128-132) between 1934-5, who described it as follows; ‘in the north-west corner of the northern field and portion of its defences were cut off by the modern field-fence on the west. The main defences of Ring-Fort 10 were the inner and middle banks and fosses. The inner bank had completely disappeared but the inner fosse could be found by excavation and on its inner side were found in one section (on the south-east) the remains of an external stone facing of the inner bank. The outer fosse was very slight and was, we have suggested, a later addition contemporary with the construction of the arc of Ring 9 [LI048-034036-]. Excavations of the ringfort (diam. c. 20m) revealed a souterrain (LI048-034034-) and house sites. The house sites were described by Ó Ríordáin (ibid. 131) as; ‘revealed, at a depth of 8 inches [0.2m] under the surface, a series of wall-grooves (charcoal- and humus-filled) which, to some extent, gave outlines of rectangular houses. Another groove, in outline a long arc of a circle, was situated on the eastern side of the end of a souterrain, for which it may have contained a protecting structure. The postholes A-G may represent some structure of similar purpose. There was indication that at least one of the houses represented by these bands of humified soil was in occupation after the souterrain had been deserted and had silted up, as one of the dark bands crossed the silted-over end of the souterrain.’ Outline of partially levelled ringfort (diam. c. 27m) transected at W by post-1700 field boundaries is visible on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13 and on Google Earth orthoimages.

See attached plans from Ó Ríordáin and Google Earth orthoimages.

Compiled by: Fiona Rooney

Date of upload: 26 August 2021

References

Westropp, T.J. 1918 Temair Erann, an Ancient Cemetery of the Ernai on Slievereagh, County Limerick. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquities of Ireland, 111-20.

Westropp, T.J. 1917-19 The Earthworks, Traditions, and the Gods of South-Eastern Co. Limerick, Especially from Knocklong to Temair Erann. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature 34, 127-183.

Ó Ríordáin, S.P. 1940 Excavations at Cush, Co. Limerick (1934 and 1935). Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 45, 83-181.

Westropp, T.J. 1919 The ancient places of assembly in the counties Limerick and Clare. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 49, 1-24.