Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In rough pasture, in S quadrant of 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 6, Southern Group' which stands inside a large field system (LI048-034001-), the W earthwork of three conjoined ringforts (LI048-034027/028-/016-). Excavated by Ó Ríordáin (1940, 114-115) between 1934-5, the results of which were described as follows; ‘This enclosure cannot be spoken of as a “ring-fort” since its outline is not circular. It is formed by a fosse and bank which run westwards from the western side of Ring 4 [LI048-034028-] and turn southwards approximately at right angles, thus enclosing an area roughly rectangular in outline, bounded on two sides by the fosse and bank already referred to, on the third by the defences of the rectangle and on the fourth side by those of the ring-forts Nos. 5 [LI048-034016-] and 4 [LI048-034028-].
Near the northern side of this fort was noticed an irregular mound which we excavated with the following results. We stripped off the over-lying turf and more heavily humified top soil and found a deposit of charcoal and in some places fragments of burnt clay so distributed as to give the outline of what was a rectangular house, of length 17 feet [5.18m] and about 10 feet [3.04m] in breadth. This structure was of wattle-and-daub as is shown by the fragments of burned clay which had in them impressions of very small twigs or thatch, and also by the fact that the charcoal deposit consisted largely of small timbers as would be used in such a structure. We excavated the area in very thin layers, drawing the black area carefully at each level. The final plan is a combination of the result of these plottings, the more closely hatched areas being those where the evidence was most definite. Four post-holes were found, three of which were in such a position as to show that they could have served as supports for posts of the side walls; one towards the middle may have been the support of a ridge pole. It was not possible to find any other post holes which would make more definite our ideas on the method of construction. The external measurements of the house would seem to have been about 22 feet [6.7m] by 14 feet [4.26m]. Across the area on the western side ran an irregular trench which connected the fosse at the northern side of Fort 6 [LI048-034041-] with the fosse of the rectangle at the south-western corner of the fort, the purpose of this trench not being at all clear.’
Ringfort is subject to Preservation Order 34 (23/01/1935). Visible as a sub-rectangular shaped area defined by a fosse on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13 and on Google Earth orthoimages.

See attached plan by from Ó Ríordáin and Google Earth orthoimages.

Compiled by: Fiona Rooney

Date of upload: 1 September 2021

References

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. 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.

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.