Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ringfort - rath
Lismagunshin, County Monaghan, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Lismagunshin
- County
- Monaghan
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- fort
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 54.16790, -6.80841
- SMR number
- MO019-006----
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)
- 1869 · 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
Situated towards the NW end of a small NW-SE drumlin ridge. This rath, or rath (MO019-007----) c. 60m to the SE is represented on McCrea’s Map of County Monaghan (1793), and it is also represented a small circular embanked enclosure (ext. diam. c. 25m) on the 1834 edition of the OS 6-inch map where it is described in gothic script as a ‘fort’. It was described in 1968 as surviving only NW of a NE-SW field bank as a scarp (Wth 1.1m; H 1m) (SMR file).
The rath was excavated (05E0375; 05E785) as part of the N2 Clontibret – Castleblayney road re-alignment. No fosse was identified but the hill had been scarped into a circular platform (diam. c. 30m; H c. 0.5m) and a portion of the earth and stone bank (Wth 2m; H 0.6m) was preserved where it underlay the modern field bank. There may have been a ramp entrance at SE. Six small pits (dims 0.7m x 0.65m; T 0.07m to 1.3m x 0.77m; T 0.15m) in the interior are probably contemporary and are interpreted for the most part as hearth pits. A blue glass bead was recovered from one of the pits and a charcoal sample produced a C14 date of 1190 +- 45 BP. (Sutton 2005, 5-10, XXVI; 2008; Coughlin 2008)
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.
Revised by: Michael Moore
Date of revision: 22 June 2018
References
McCrea, W. 1793 A map of the county of Monaghan. National Library of Ireland, Manuscripts 16.1.10 (1-4).
Sutton, B. 2005 Archaeological Excavation of Development at N2 Clontibret to Castleblayney Road Realignment. Site Name: Lismagunshin 1; Licence No. 05E0785. Final Report: Unpublished, Irish Archaeological Consultancy
Sutton, B. 2008 Lismagunshin: Ringfort. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2005: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 313, No. 1276 , Dublin, Wordwell
Coughlin, T. 2008 Lismagunshin: possible cashel. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2005: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 313-4, No. 1277, Dublin, Wordwell
Nearby in the register
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.