Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Marked as an embanked enclosure (ext. diam. c. 50-60m) with a N-S stream and townland boundary running through it on the 1839 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. The greater part is on the E side of the stream in Templenacroha townland, and it is located in a broad N-S valley. It is described as a rath, the E part of which was removed in 1984 when a quern stone and oak timbers from an entrance area at SE were recovered. The timbers produced a dendrochronological date of 766 AD or slightly later (NMI file).
It is visible as a cropmark of a D-shaped area (diam. c. 44m N-S) backing onto the N-S stream at W on aerial photographs (ASIAP. WX 69, 6 11). On the ground traces of the in-filled fosse survive (Wth 4-6m) at E, and on the W side of the stream it survives but is overgrown and appears to have no inner bank while the fosse (at NW: Wth of top 4.5m; int. D 0.2-0.6m; ext. D 0.7m) has a slight counterscarp bank (at NW: Wth 3.5m; ext. H 0.4m). An outer fosse, separated from the inner by a berm can be traced E-S (max. ext. dim. c. 100m). Enclosure (WX030-020----) is c. 20m to the E.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 16 August, 2012