Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture on the E outskirts of Swinford town, located on a rise, overlooked by a ridge of higher ground to SW.
Slightly raised broadly oval area (52.4m N–S; 46m E–W) defined by an earthen bank and enclosed by a fosse and external bank.
The inner bank (Wth 5.5-6m; int. H 1.3m at W, 0.2m at E; ext. H 2.2-2.5m) is low and degraded internally, especially on the E half, but retains a substantial external slope. The fosse (Wth 4m) is well defined, except at N–NE where it is silted up. The external bank (Wth 2.6m at E, 3.2m at W; int. H 0.5m at E, 1m at W; ext. H 0.4-0.5m) is very degraded, surviving W–N as a low rise, interrupted at N–ENE by a break (Wth 10m), and at E–SE as a stony undulation. At SSE–W it has been incorporated into or truncated by a field boundary that respects the curve of the enclosure.
The centre of the interior consists of a flat-topped raised area (23m N–S; 19m E–W) from which there is a broadly sloping fall of ground, dropping by c. 0.7m at S and c. 1.15m at N, towards a narrow perimeter ring of lower, flat ground just inside the rath bank. There is a shallow depression (Wth 4m; D 0.4m) on the inner edge of the bank in the SE quadrant.
At E, where the enclosing banks are lower in height, there is a break (Wth 2m) in the inner bank and a corresponding break (Wth 4m) in the outer bank, which may be an original entrance. There is a hint of a causeway across the fosse but this is greatly eroded by farm stock. Another entrance-like break (Wth 4m) is located in the inner bank at SSW, which has a ramp-like slump (Wth 3.4m) into the fosse, partly defined on the S side by stones. There are also breaks in the inner bank at N (Wth 3m) and at S (Wth 4m).
The inner edge of the fosse at SE has a vertical stone facing against which a corrugated iron cattle shelter has been erected. The rath interior is covered in grass, rushes and yellow flag, and the perimeter is thickly ringed with hawthorn, hazel, brambles and gorse. There is rath (MA062-084----) 155m to SE and an enclosure on top of the ridge c. 250m to SW.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 7 December 2020