Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, at the junction of four modern rectangular fields, located on top of a ridge at the break of slope on the N side. There are extensive views NW−NE over a broad expanse of lowlying pasture stretching N from the base of the ridge, with undulating terrain beyond that.
Raised circular area (30m N−S; 31m E−W) defined by two earthen banks with an intervening fosse.
The inner bank (Wth 4.7m; int. H 0.45m; ext. H 1.8m at WSW) is well preserved on the W half, where it is incorporated into a field fence and exhibits remnants of rough stone facing on the external slope. It is reduced to a scarp (ext. H 1.9m at NE, 1.4m at SE) elsewhere.
The fosse (Wth 3m at WSW, 4m at NE) and external bank (Wth 2.3m; int. H 0.6m; ext. H 0.5m) are well defined on the W half of the rath; on the E half, the fosse is evident as a shallow depression, and the external bank has been levelled at NNE−SE and it is incorporated into a field fence at S−SW.
There is a dilapidated slump/break (Wth c. 1.6m), now partly obscured by a field fence, at SE where the enclosing bank/scarp is lowest; it may indicate an original entrance.
The rath is ringed with hawthorn and blackthorn trees and brambles, with the densest concentration at E‒SW. The interior is grassy. Later field fences radiate from the rath to N, E S and W. Two raths (MA071-050----; MA071-053001-) are located 120m to SW and 185m to E, respectively, and several other raths are located in in dispersed cluster in the surrounding hinterland, all within a radius of 500m.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 30 July 20201