Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Located towards the S end of a NNW-SSE drumlin ridge. This rath is depicted on McCrea’s Map of County Monaghan (1793). It is an overgrown circular area (diam. 49m NNE-SSW; int. diam. 40m NNE-SSW) defined by an earthen bank (Wth of base 12m; int. H 1.5m; ext. H 3.5-4m) separated by a U-shaped, water-logged fosse (Wth of top 11-14m; Wth of base 1m at SSW to 4m at NNE; ext. D 1m at SSW to 2.5m at NNE) from an outer earthen bank (Wth of base 8-11m; ext. H 0.7m). The entrance through the inner (Wth of base 2m) and outer (Wth of base 3.2m) banks and a causeway (H 0.7m) are at SSE (max. ext. diam. 88m NNE-SSW). There is an outer field bank ESE-W, and an L-shaped depression inside the inner bank at NW is probably the result of quarrying. The rath (MO031-066----) is c. 220m to the NNW, and the raths (MO031-068----) and (MO031-069----) are on a lower shelf c. 200m to the ENE and c. 230m to the E respectively.

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.

Date of revision: 31 July 2017

References

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