Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a low rise, in undulating pasture, with good views in all directions. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a modified penannular-shaped earthwork. Circular-shaped earthwork depicted on an estate map of Sonna Demesne (NLI, MS 21 F. 48 (018) ).
Bivallate ringfort described in 1980 as an oval-shaped area (41.5m N-S; 40.5m E-W) enclosed by an inner bank, an intervening fosse and an outer bank. The perimeter of the monument has been levelled from NE-E-SE, where it is marked by a rise in ground level into the interior. The inner bank is low and poorly preserved with a number of small disturbance gaps. There is no sign of an entrance. A deep intervening fosse is visible from SW-W-N-NNE. The outer bank is fairly substantial and survives from SW-W-N-NNE. The surface of the interior is uneven and there are a number of small disturbance depressions within the NE and SE quadrants. Two small subrectangular-shaped enclosures (WM018-071001-) are visible outside the outer bank at SW and W. There are old cultivation ridges in the field surrounding the monument and the field boundaries to NE and SW have been removed. Monument is visible as a penannular-shaped enclosure on Digital Globe aerial photography.

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

Date of upload: 05 February 2019

References

NLI, MS 21 F. 48 (018) – National Library of Ireland, A map of lands at Sonna demense, Balroe, Cartron, Kildallan, Kilpatrick, Gaddrystown, Balleagney and Ballysallagh [Tuite] in the barony of Moygoish and County of Westmeath. Names of tenants and acreage of holdings shown. Longfield Map Collection, Dublin.