Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

On a S-facing slope, just below the crest of a hill, in genly undulating terrain. The field has been tilled up to the bank of the monument. A townland boundary to the N has been removed, as has the field boundary to the E. Nicholastown Castle (TS082-043002-) is visible c. 1.3km to SE. Loughlohery tower house (TS082-004----) is also visible 2km to the WNW. The ringfort has been much distrubed and is overgrown with brambles, nettles and scrub, only the SW quadrant is relatively free of vegetation. The ringfort is roughly circular (diam. 39m E-W; N-S c. 30m diam. obtainable from 25-inch OS map as too overgrown on the ground). The interior adjacent to the E bank has been quarried out and a lot of debris, including dead wood, dumped. The E bank is very broad and high (Wth c. 7m; int. H 1.72m; ext. H 1.65m), probably augmented by field boundary clearance. Elsewhere there is no definable bank, the edge of the monument being delimited by scarp, in the W quadrant this is 0.45m above the ext. ground level, in SW it is 1m above the exterior. There is no external fosse visible, however a fosse is indicated on the 2nd 1904-5 ed. OS 6-inch map from NE to SW. In the SE quadrant stones have been dumped at the external base of the bank. The external face of the bank has been truncated. The interior slopes to the E.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 21 January 2014