Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in level, gently elevated pasture, adjacent to the E boundary of the townland. It is overlooked 400m to W by Skreen Hill; immediately to N, ground falls away gradually to NE, providing excellent views over a broad sweep of coastal grassland, with Ben Bulben and Knocknarae visible on the far horizon. A stream, which marks the S boundary of the townland, is located 300m to S.
This rath is not indicated on the 1837 OS 6-inch map; on the 1913 edition, it is shown in hachured outline as an oval enclosure (32m ENE−WSW; 21m NNW−SSE) defined by a bank, truncated on its SW side, and partly on the NE and SE edges, by later linear field boundaries which tightly box in the rath on four sides.
These field boundaries are extant, and the rectangular space they enclosure is largely covered by a dense thicket of blackthorn, elder and brambles, with the densest scrub in the area of the rath.
The outline of the rath cannot now be traced; the enclosing bank appears to have been largely or entirely levelled, although it is possible that remnants may survive at E or SE, where the overgrowth is impenetrable and inspection was impossible. The interior of the rath does not appear to have been raised significantly above surrounding ground level. A low, subcircular grassy rise (diam. 6-8m; H 0.3-0.4m) towards the W end of the rath interior marks the location of a souterrain (SL019-018002-).

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 11 September 2018