Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, on a low hill. The rath is covered in a dense thicket of blackthorn, hazel and brambles. A raised roughly circular area (diam. c. 25m N-S; 29m E-W) defined by a scarp (H c. 0.3m) and enclosed by a flat-bottomed fosse (Wth 5.7m) with an external flat-topped earthen bank (Wth 5.5m; int. H 1.7m; ext. H 0.9m) SE-N. A field boundary has replaced the external bank N-SE. An external fosse (Wth 6.5m) is evident W-NW. Some stones protrude from the inner face of the external bank. There is a possible entrance at NE where the scarp is reduced to very shallow ramp-like slope. There is a corresponding gap (Wth c. 12m) in the outer bank which has been infilled by an earth and stone field boundary. The interior is level and clear of overgrowth and, like the bank, is poached by cattle in places. A small quarry-hole abuts the outer bank at W.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008