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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ringfort - rath

Ballyglass Middle, County Mayo, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ringfort - rath, Ballyglass Middle, County Mayo, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Ballyglass Middle
County
Mayo
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
53.71216, -8.71637
SMR number
MA103-041----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, immediately adjacent to the Mayo-Roscommon border. Located on a ridge, on level ground just below the summit, where the S slope falls away in gentle undulations, giving excellent views over the plains of Roscommon.
Slightly raised oval area (43m N−S; 51m E−W) defined on the S arc by a substantial bank/field fence (Wth 2.8m; int. H 1.3m; ext. H 1.8m) which is incorporated into the Mayo-Roscommon county boundary. This bank is earthen with stone facing on the exterior; it preserves the original curve of the rath, but is almost vertical sided and has clearly been modified to serve as the county boundary. At W−N the rath perimeter is incorporated into a straight NE−SW bank/field fence. This too is faced with stone. The enclosing bank at N−SE has been levelled but its outline is still visible as a slight curving rise/undulation.
A shallow ditch (Wth 2m) is evident outside the bank/county boundary on the S arc. While it is possible that this indicates an original fosse, it appears more likely to be a field ditch as it is similar to and merges with ditches bordering adjacent field fences.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 11 November 2022

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Ringfort - rath in Mayo All County Mayo records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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