Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, in an area of mixed grassland and bog; ground falls away gently to S, giving good views.
Slightly raised circular area (30.5m N−S; 33.4m E−W) defined by an earthen bank (4.2m at S) and enclosed by a fosse. There is a remnant of an external bank (Wth 2m; int. H 0.6m; ext. H 0.5m) on the S arc; it has been levelled elsewhere. The rath has been modified as a result of incorporation into a system of later field boundaries, which abut it at NW and SW, and the bank on the W arc serves as a field fence.
The inner bank is generally low on its internal face; the external face is cut quite vertical, especially towards the base. The inner face of the external bank is also quite vertical-faced. The fosse is evident as a shallow depression on the E half of the circuit; on the W arc there is a narrow, shallow depression (W 1.4m) which may be a later field ditch cut into the original line of the fosse. The rath interior is level. There is a gap (Wth 2m) in the inner bank at SE which may indicate an original entrance.
The interior is grassy; the bank at W, where it serves as a field boundary, is thickly covered in blackthorn; elsewhere the bank is dotted with hawthorn bushes. There are several breaks or areas of erosion by farm stock.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 17 June 2020