Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In rough pasture, in S 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).
Listed by Ó Ríordáin as 'Ringfort 2, Southern Group' with souterrain (LI048-034030-) in SE quadrant which stands inside a large field system (LI048-034001-), N of conjoined ringforts (LI048-034025/027/016/041-). Excavated by Ó Ríordáin (1940, 101-104) between 1934-5, the results of which were described as follows; Ring-Fort No. 2 [LI048-034026-] lies to the north-east of No. 1 [LI048-034025-] and to the north of No. 3 [LI048-034027-]. Its fosse and that of the latter fort touch, but as already explained the fosse of No. 2 is separated by an interval from the nearest point of No. 1 [LI048-034025-]. A modern fence runs though Ring-Fort No. 2 and cuts off a small part of it on its northern side. That portion of the fort to the northern side of this field fence is much better preserved than that to the south of it and gives us evidence to which the banks of the ring-forts in general have been denuded.
The entrance to the Ring-Fort No. 2 we found to be on the western side of the fort and immediately south of the modern field fence. The fosses at this point ceased, leaving a passage between their ends about 14 feet [4.26m] wide. No trace could be found of post-holes of the gates posts which one would have expected as a protection for the interior of the fort. Remains were found, however, of a small house just inside the entrance and on the southern side of it. We found here under a considerable depth of earth – about 2 feet [0.6m] below the present-day surface level-a floor formed by packing pebbles into the clay; a small portion of a similar floor occurred near the centre of the fort. On the southern limits of this floor was a wall of rather poor construction which was revealed as an irregular setting of stones in a clay bank. In it was a post-hole (P) lined on top with pacing of small stones and having a depth of 18 inches [0.45m] under them. The fact that this floor and wall were found so well covered beneath the modern surface level is due to the fat that they lay close to the bank of the fort and that the latter in its collapse inwards had covered them. No other portions of the walls of this house could be obtained but a post-hole (N) is in the same line as the wall and may have marked the eastern extent of the house. No further evidence of its size could be obtained.
In relation to the entrance to the fort we must remember that the building of the modern fence would be likely to destroy much of the previously existing evidence on the northern side of the fort. At the centre of the fort was found a hearth and built of flat slabs set on end around an area about 2½ feet [0.76m] in length and 2 feet [0.6m] in breadth, the stones having an average thickness of about 4 inches [0.1m]. The interior was excavated very carefully and we found it to contain near the centre a roughly circular area less that 2 feet [0.6m] in diameter which was filled to a depth of about 3 inches [0.07m] with a mixture of charcoal and humified soil with some traces of burnt clay, Among this material were some very few and very small pieces of calcined bone. Around the hearth were found many post-holes of varying sizes though usually small (diameter varying from 2¾ [0.06m] to 7 inches [0.17m]). It was not possible to form any regular plan from these post-holes and the fact that they represented several successive houses on the site was shown by there being a group of four post-holes (D) within the hearth already described.
Several pits filled with humified soil were found within the fort; the two which occurred near the centre being the largest, each having a depth of about 16 inches [0.4m], the length and breadth of one being 5 feet [1.5m] and 2 feet [0.6m] 9 inches [0.22m] respectively, while the other was 3 feet [0.91m]in length and 2 feet [0.6m] in breadth. While we suppose that these were used as storage pits their excavation yielded no evidence confirmatory of this. Two shallow trenches (4 inches [0.1m] deep and about 6 inches [0.15m] wide) to the north-east of the excavated area were traceable for a distance of 8 feet [2.43m] and 10 feet [3.04m] respectively and may represent the foundation of wooden walls. West of the centre of the fort remained portions of a paving built of flat stones the larger of which were about 2 feet [0.6m] in greatest dimension’.
Ringfort is subject to Preservation Order 34 (23/01/1935). Monument visible as a circular shaped area defined by a fosse truncated at N by a post-1700 field boundary running E-W on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13 and on Google Earth orthoimages.

See attached plans taken from Ó Ríordáin and Google Earth orthoimages.

Compiled by: Fiona Rooney

Date of upload: 2 September 2021

References

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