Castle - ringwork

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the side of a high ridge running roughly NW-SE, with extensive views to N, E and SE, overlooked by higher ground to SW, W and NW. A castle (WM018-007----) lies c. 100m to SE. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork truncated at NW by a short field boundary running NE-SW and incorporating a townland boundary running S-W-NW. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a slightly penannular-shaped earthwork which is open to NW.
Described in 1980 as a large, irregular roughly oval-shaped area (dims. 63m NNW-SSE; 63m E-W) enclosed by an earthen bank from NNW-N-E-S with an intervening berm and an outer bank from NNW-N-E-SE, and no evidence of an entrance feature. A townland boundary consisting of a wall and hedge forms the perimeter from S-W-NNW. An old field bank runs NE-SW from the corner of the townland boundary to the NE. The inner bank is poorly preserved where reduced to a scarp from NNW-N-NE, it is best preserved from NE-E-SE and is very low SE-S, where there are traces of internal and external stone facing. A flat intervening berm-like feature is present between the two banks. The outer bank of earth and stone is low and poorly preserved NNW-N-NNE, being reduced to a scarp NNE-E-SE. The interior has a relatively steep E-facing slope and has an uneven surface due to various disturbances visible as irregular scarps and hollows in the NW and SE quadrants. There are traces of old cultivation ridges running NE-SW across the S quadrant. There are old cultivation ridges running NW-SE in the field outside the site to NE. Monument is visible today as an oval-shaped, partially tree-lined earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photography.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien

Date of upload: 09 January 2019