Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, located on a low rise with good views over surrounding landscape of gently undulating grassland and bog.
This rath is engulfed in dense overgrowth, which made inspection difficult. It consists of a slightly raised, circular area or platform (diam. c. 20m) defined S–NW by an earthen bank (Wth 2m; int. H 0.2m; ext. H 0.7m), with a very degraded internal rim, and enclosed by a fosse (Wth 2m) with an external bank (2.7m; int. H 0.6m; ext. H 0.8m). At NW–NNE the bank is reduced to a dilapidated scarp, and a farm road, flanked by drains, truncates the fosse and external bank. Overgrowth and areas of disturbance make it difficult to examine the E half of the rath: at NE–SE there appears to be three scarps or banks with two intervening gaps or fosses, however, it was not possible determine how these relate to the two banks on the W half of the rath.
A gap or low area (Wth c. 2m) at E may mark an original entrance.
In the S half of the interior, a low, loose heap of stones is visible amidst the overgrowth; in the W half there is a roughly circular, shallow hollow (diam. c. 2m); at the NNW, close to the enclosing scarp, there is a linear sunken area or pit (6m NE–SW; 1.7m NW–SE; D 0.8m), and c. 1.7m to NE of this, there is an irregular-shaped pit or depression (max. dim. c. 3m; D c. 0.7m). There is evidence of a change of level or drop in ground level in the E half of the interior and also evidence of surface disturbance.
The majority of the interior and the entire perimeter are thickly engulfed in blackthorn scrub.
There is another rath (MA062-111----) 80m to SW.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 26 January 2021