Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

At the summit of a broad hill which is the highest point of the Rathcroghan plateau. Subcircular grass-covered natural mound (dims 27m E-W; 21m N-S; H 1-1.6m) within an enclosure (diam. 55m N-S; 54m E-W) defined by a grass-covered earthen bank (Wth 4.5-6.5m; int. H 0.9-1.1m; ext. H 1.3-1.8m). There is an entrance (Wth 2.3m) at NW but there is no visible fosse. Evidence of a fosse was recovered in a gradiometry survey conducted by Target Geophysics for Michael Croghan in 2009 SW-W-NE but it could not be recorded elsewhere because of interference from barbed wire fences. It also recovered slight evidence of a possible circular hut-site at the centre, with other possible features inside the bank at N and S. The bank is overlain by the remains of a stone wall ENE-SW, and there is a trig. station on the perimeter at NE. Archaeological testing (97E0315) c. 200m to the W, and monitoring in the vicinity, failed to produce evidence of ancient activity (Dunne 1998).

See the attached aerial image taken from the N.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

Dunne, L. 1998 Rathkineely. No archaeological significance. In Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1997: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 153, No. 457. Bray. Wordwell.