Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a rise in the middle of a plateau bounded by the Goulaun River on one side and by the steep rise of Letterkeen Hill on the other, in an area of mountainous and boggy terrain.
This rath, traditionally known as ‘Lios na Gaoithe’, was excavated (E000015) in 1950 by Ó 'Ríordáin and Mac Dermott (1950-1). It consists of a raised circular area (diam. 26m) defined by an earthen bank with internal stone facing, and enclosed by a fosse with an external bank, on the inner edge of which there was a timber palisade. The entrance is at the SE, with a raised causeway across the fosse.
In the interior, the excavators found evidence of two circular houses (MA046-004009-; MA046-004010-), another possible house (MA046-004014-), a souterrain (MA046-004008-), and a possible kiln (MA046-004011-). It was noted that the souterrain was built after the rath had already been inhabited for some time, and its construction resulted in several structural alterations to the rath. Finds included a bronze ring-pin, glass beads, fragments of glass and jet bracelets, fragments of clay crucibles, a fragment of a mudstone axe, fragments of whet stones, flint and chert tools, and a quern stone (MA0046-004012-).
The natural rise on which the rath was constructed was used during the Bronze Age as a focus for burial, and in the layers underlying the rath evidence was found of a possible burial cairn (MA046-004001-), three cists (MA046-004002-; MA046-004003-; MA046-004004-) and two pit burials (MA046-004005-; MA046-004006-).

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 9 April 2019

References

Ó Ríordáin, S.P. and Mac Dermott, M. 1950-1 The excavation of a ringfort at Letterkeen, Co. Mayo. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 54, 89-119