Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the E-facing spine of a WNW-ESE drumlin ridge. This rath is depicted on McCrea’s map of County Monaghan (1793) and on the 1834 and 1907 editions of the OS 6-inch map. It is a subcircular grass-covered area (dims 35m N-S: 30m E-W) planted with deciduous trees which is defined by an earthen bank (Wth 6.4-7.6m; int. H 0.6-1m; ext. H 2.5-3m) and an outer fosse (Wth of top 9m; Wth of base 1m; D 2m) WNW-NE (upslope) and SE-S (Wth of top 6m; Wth of base 2.6m; D 0.4m). There is an outer bank (at NW: Wth of base 8m; Wth of top 3.4m; ext. H 1m) WNW-NNE with a stone-faced field bank on top of it that surrounds the whole monument, incorporating the outer face of the inner bank ESE-S. The original entrance is probably that (Wth of base c. 2m) with traces of an outer causeway (Wth of top c. 2m; H 0.4m) at SSE. The rath was circumvented by a WNW-ESE lane S-NW as recorded on McCrea’s map and the 1834 OS 6-inch map but there is no evidence of this now.

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: 27 July 2018

References

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