Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on top of a prominent hill (423ft/129m OD), in pasture, with excellent views in all directions. Depicted on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map as a D-shaped earthwork. Monument described in 1971 as a modified roughly D-shaped area (dims. 40m NW-SE; 39.5m NE-SW) enclosed by a bank and external fosse. A substantial earthen bank is visible along the straight side to W and where it is curvilinear from NW-N-E. Elsewhere, the bank has been removed and or modified to form part of a modern earthen field fence running roughly NE-SW. There is a curve in the field fence where it extends between the present ends of the ringfort bank. This may indicate that the later boundary marks the site of the monument perimeter from E-S-SW and confirming that this earthwork was originally D-shaped. There are several slight disturbance gaps including a gap at SW and at E between the end of the bank and the earthen field fence. A gap (Wth at top 4.6m; basal Wth 2.5m) at NE may represent the original entrance feature but this is inconclusive. There are very vague suggestions of an external fosse at the base of the bank from NNW-N-E. A long scarp running NNW-SSE comes within 1.5m of the base of the bank at E and then curves along outside the bank to SW, forming a deep fosse. The long scarp has a very slight earthen bank on its upper edge. It is not possible to conclude if this is contemporary with the ringfort. Some stones protrude from the surface of the interior, although there are no recognisable features.

See attached profile surveyed and drawn by the ASI.

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

Date of upload: 30 September 2019