Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ringfort - rath
Rathkenny, County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Rathkenny
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Fort
- Latest-edition OS map
- Hachured
- Coordinates
- 53.74798, -6.63712
- SMR number
- ME012-042----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1636 · Vltoniae Orientalis Pars (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1799 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Located on a shelf at the bottom of the S-facing slope of Simpson’s Mountain, and overlooking Black Lough c. 150m to the SE. It was described in 1968 (SMR file) as a raised and circular grass-covered area (diam. 45m NW-SE) define by an earthen bank (at SE: Wth c. 8m; int. H c. 1m; ext. H 2.3m) best preserved ESE-S but largely by an external scarp (at NW: Wth 8m; H 1.7m). There is no evidence of a fosse and the most likely original entrance is a gap (Wth of base 0.7m) at S but there are also modern farm entrances at NW and NE. There is a sunken area (dims 15.8m E-W; 5.9 N-S) inside the perimeter at NW with the grass-covered remains of a wall footing. Another sunken area (dims 10.5m N-S; 6.5m E-W) inside the bank at SW might also be a building, but both probably post-date the abandonment of the rath.
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.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 10 July 2007
Amended; 3 August 2022
Nearby in the register
- Buildingunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Mausoleumunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.