Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ringfort - rath
Balrath (rathconrath By., Churchtown Ed), County Westmeath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Balrath (rathconrath By., Churchtown Ed)
- County
- Westmeath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Hachured
- Latest-edition OS map
- Hachured
- Coordinates
- 53.50222, -7.50063
- SMR number
- WM025-004----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating pasture, with extensive views to ESE and S. A pond lies c. 155m to SW. Monument described in 1971 as a roughly circular-shaped area (dims. 43.5m E-W; 39m N-S) enclosed by a bank and external fosse with no clear entrance feature visible. The bank is steep on the exterior and is almost reduced to a scarp and is slightly defaced by livestock in several places. The fosse is wide, shallow and flat-based with steep sides and is best preserved from SSE-S-W. The interior has a gentle E-facing slope and definite traces of cultivation ridges running E-W. A complex of banks, scarps and trenches surround the site, with some of the banks in close proximity. It is difficult to assess whether these represent part of a modern field system which has gone into disuse or whether it is an older system.
See attached profile of monument surveyed by the ASI.
Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien.
Date of upload: 03 September 2019
Nearby in the register
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- House - indeterminate dateunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Settlement deserted - medievalunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.