Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rise in an undulating landscape, it is described as ‘Cave Fort’ in gothic lettering on the 1836 and 1908 OS 6-inch maps. This is a raised, circular and grass-covered area (diam. 48m NW-SE: 46m NE-SW) defined by an earthen bank (at NW : Wth of base 5m; int. H 0.4m; ext. H 2.3m) W-NNE largely reduced to a scarp (at NW: H 2.1m) separated by a slight berm (Wth 1-2m) from a fosse (Wth of top 5.2-7.2m Wth of base 2.5-4.2m; ext. D 0.8m at NE to 1.7m at SW) from an outer bank (at NE: Wth of base 4.8m; ext. H 0.8m) that is best preserved W-N and E-SW (at SW: Wth of base 8.7m; Wth of top 3.8m; ext. H 2.1m). There is a ramp entrance (Wth of base 2.2m) and causeway (Wth of top 1.8m; H 0.5m) at E. Inside the perimeter at W is a depression (dims 11.2m N-S; 2.5-3.5m E-W; D 0.35m) with an arm running E (L 11.2m; Wth of top 2.8m; D 0.5m) from its S end which terminates in a circular depression (diam. 4.6m). This is probably a collapsed souterrain, implied in the name ‘Cave Fort’.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Michael Moore

Date of revision: 26 October 2018