Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on top of a prominent drumlin overlooking Knockaturly Lough, which is c. 550m to the SW at the nearest point. This rath is represented on McCrea’s map of County Monaghan (1793) and on the 1834 and 1907 editions of the OS 6-inch map. It is a circular grass and scrub-covered area (diam. 36m NW-SE; 35m NE-SW) defined by an overgrown earthen bank separated by a flat-bottomed and water-logged fosse from an outer overgrown bank that has probably been heightened W-NNE and an external fosse that is absent NW-NE. A modern field bank surrounds the outer fosse NNE-ESE and W-NW, which is regarded as a third bank in the folk memory (IFC Schools’ MSS (953) 94-6; (958) 20-21: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes ). The entrance through the inner (Wth of base 4.3m) and outer (Wth of base 3.5m) banks and a causeway (Wth of top H 1.6m) across the inner fosse are at NE. Archaeological testing (99E0736) c. 200m to the N failed to produce any related material (Conway 2000). The removal of some field boundaries outside the N side of the monument during 2012 resulted in the partial closing of the outer fosse W-NW (SMR file).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revision: 22 February 201

References

McCrea, W. 1793 A map of the county of Monaghan. National Library of Ireland, Manuscripts 16.1.10 (1-4).

IFC Schools' MSS: Irish Folklore Commission Schools' Manuscripts. Department of Folklore. University College, Dublin.

SMR file - Sites and monuments record files in the National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Conway, M. 2000 Lissaraw: Environs of ringfort. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 1999: Summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland 1999, 254, NO. 728. Bray, Wordwell