Moated site

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on SE-facing slope, near the top of a low rise, in pasture with extensive views to NW and W, overlooking a small valley to E and SE and overlooked by high ridges to S and SSW. Ringforts (WM018-051---- and WM018-054----) lie c. 170m to NW and c. 195m to ESE, respectively. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map and the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a rectangular-shaped earthwork with field boundaries extending from SE and WNW. A circular-shaped earthwork is depicted on an estate map of Rathconrath dating from 1776 (NLI, MS 21 F. 48 (026) ).
Monument described in 1980 as a rectangular-shaped area (approx. dims. 41.5m NE-SW; 35.5m NW-SE) enclosed by a bank. The bank is well preserved and has internal stone facing from N-NNE and from SSE-S-SSW. The bank has been reduced down to a scarp from NNE-NE-E and from ESE-SE, there are disturbance gaps elsewhere. There is no sign of an original entrance. The interior has a SE-facing slope and appears featureless. There is a modern dry stone wall against the outer face of the bank from W-NW and at SE. A modern wall and hedge extends from the bank at SE and WNW, as indicated on OS maps. Monument is visible today as a rectangular-shaped tree-lined earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photography.

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

Date of upload: 04 February 2019

References

NLI, MS 21 F. 48 (26) - National Library of Ireland, A map of lands at Ballinbeg Rathconrath and Simonstown... in the barony of Rathconrath and County of Westmeath. Names of tenants and acreage of holdings shown. Longfield Map Collection. Dublin.