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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ringfort - rath

Slane Beg, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ringfort - rath, Slane Beg, County Westmeath, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Slane Beg
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Hachured
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
53.55419, -7.43562
SMR number
WM018-017----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rise, in undulating pasture with extensive views toward Frewin Hill to N and to W, limited towards Slane More Hill to E and S. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a D-shaped earthwork, having a straight side to NW. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a circular-shaped earthwork.
Described in 1980 as a circular-shaped area (diam. 29m) enclosed by a bank and traces of a fosse. The earth and stone bank has been defaced by quarrying from ESE-SE-SSE and at S. There are a number of disturbance gaps in the bank at the NW, NNE and NE, none of which can be identified as an original entrance. The bank is reduced to a scarp in places, which is best preserved at S and SW. The very faint remains of a fosse are traceable from NNE-E. A drain and a modern field fence run NE-SW along the base of the scarp from SSE-S-SSW. There is an old quarry depression cutting into the scarp from ESE-SE-SSE. There is a naturally formed ridge running NW-SE across the interior and the ground rises irregularly from the perimeter at NNE and SSE toward it. Monument is visible today as a partially tree-lined earthwork abutting a field boundary to SSE, on Digital Globe aerial photography.

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

Date of upload: 11 January 2019

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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