Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

On flat grassland with good views in all directions. On the first ed. OS 6-inch map there is a pigeon house located immediately to the N of the possible ringfort. This pigeon house is not indicated on the latest ed. OS 6-inch map and is no longer visible. Barely visible outline of a levelled possible ringfort consisting of a slight rise of ground or degraded bank (top Wth 6m; base Wth 10m; ext. H 0.4m; int. H 0.3m) visible along its E quadrant only on top of which are planted two lime trees, elsewhere the bank is barely visible as a low rise of ground enclosing a circular area (approx. int. diam. 31m N-S; overall diam. 50m N-S). Indicated as a cropmark of a multivallate enclosure on aerial photographs taken in July 1971 (CUCAP BGO 14, 15, S. 593/4). Monument levelled before 1971. It is described by O'Donovan (O'Donovan and Duffy 2002, 36-7) as a ring-barrow (diam. 46m) which 'consists of an externally ditched enclosure defined by a flattened 8m wide bank and an internal ditch that measures 3-4m wide and 0.40m deep. The externally ditched enclosure surrounds a central ring barrow. The ring barrow consists of a low flat mound 8m in diameter surrounded by a 0.30m deep, 2m wide ditch. A level concentric 6m wide platform surrounds the central barrow inside the externally ditched enclosure. A possible 5m wide entrance feature is located in the northeast corner of the outer enclosure. Two large trees are present on the northern external bank. The bank survives to a greater level at this point, indicating that the monument has been considerably denuded; however, it is still clearly visible on the ground'.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

O'Donovan, E. and Duffy, S. 2002 A deserted medieval village at Ballysheehan, Co. Tipperary. Tipperary Historical Journal, 33-43.