Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a steep knoll, with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Depicted as an irregular-shaped woodland plantation on the 1st ed. OS 6-inch map with Ordnance Survey Trig. Station in centre of woodland marking the OD 338 ft.. Monument described in 1982 as a ringfort that was reused as a designed landscape feature in the 18th century. Site consist of a circular-shaped area (diam. 25m) enclosed by a low earth and stone bank with no trace of an external fosse. The interior is flat and has a circular-shaped stone pillar (approx. H 5m) within the centre which is annotated ‘Lows Folly’ on the 1837 OS Fair Plan Map. Halfway up the pillar there is a rectangular-shaped plaque with an inscription which reads 'this pier erected 1769'. 'Pillar' described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as following; 'Freestanding pillar/monument/folly on circular plan and c. five metres in height, dated 1769. Built in rubble limestone with projecting cut stone band at a high level and a shallow domed rubble limestone cap over. Cut stone date stone incised '1769'. (www.buildingsofireland.ie: Reg. No. 15402318). The base of this hillock is enclosed by a low stone wall which forms a semi-circular-shaped enclosure (approx. diam. 100m) visible on Digital Globe aerial photographs. Field boundary running NW-SE forming enclosing element of monument on SW side represents the townland boundary with Lisnascreen.

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

Date of upload: 24 July 2019