Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

The Archaeological Survey of Ireland (ASI) is in the process of providing information on all monuments on In pasture, located on a rise in undulating terrain, with an expanse of bog to E. Good views generally, with a rath (MA092-030----) visible c. 100m to E, and another rath (MA092-028----) c. 250m to N.
Roughly oval platform (56.4m N–S; 39.4m E–W) defined by a scarp (H 2.2m), outside which it is enclosed SE–NW by a fosse (Wth 2.6m) and outer bank (Wth 5.3m; int. H 1.3m; ext. H 1.5m, at S).
The E side of the platform has been truncated to a linear, almost vertical scarp and modified to serve as a field boundary. The fosse and outer bank are not evident at N–E except for two discrete mounds of earth (L c. 5-5.5m; H 0.8-1m) at NE which may be remnants of the outer bank. At SE–SW the outer bank is reduced to a low terrace, and at NW–N it has been cut to the vertical and modified to serve as a field fence.
The rath appears to encompass a natural rise as there is pronounced elongated spine of raised ground extends through the centre/SW of the interior, with a marked slope down to N−NE and a gentler slope to SE. The original entrance is unclear, but there are low, slumped sections of scarp to N (H 1.4m) and to E (H 1.6m). The rath interior is grassy; the scarp and the outer bank are thickly ringed with blackthorn.
Knox (1908, 110; 1911, 230) recorded that name of this rath as ‘Lisnadhine (Lis of the Daingen)’.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 23 February 2022

References

Knox, H.T. 1908 The History of the County of Mayo to the close of the 17th century. Dublin.

Knox, H.T. 1911 Some Connacht Raths and Motes. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 41, 205-40, 301-42.