Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In rough peaty, heather-covered pasture, on a rise with good views over the surrounding undulating landscape. The Trimoge River is 340m to N.
Slightly raised circular area (diam. c. 25m E−W) defined by an earth and stone bank, outside which it is enclosed by a fosse with an external bank.
The inner bank (Wth 3.7m at W, 3.4m at NE; ext. H 1.1m at W, 1.4m at NE) is incorporated into a later field fence at N−ENE and has an inner facing of drystone walling (H 1m); elsewhere the inner slope of the bank is low (H 0.5m at W) with stones protruding randomly along the top and sides. The fosse (Wth c. 3m) is evident as a shallow depression around the complete circuit. At E−SE the external bank consists of a low earth and stone bank (Wth 1.7m; int. H 0.3m; ext. H 0.5m), reducing on the W arc to a slight heather-covered stony rise (Wth 1m; H 0.1-0.3m) which peters out at NW. The outer bank is missing at NNW−NE, but a cropmark (Wth c. 2m) of field rushes preserves its outline.
There is no clearly defined entrance gap –it may have been at E where the bank is lowest.
The rath is ringed with hawthorn, hazel, blackthorn and brambles, which have encroached on the N half of the interior. There is another rath (MA071-179----) 180m to N.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 24 September 2021