Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Marked as a circular embanked enclosure (ext. diam. c. 35m E-W), slightly constricted by E-W field banks at N and S, on the 1839 ed. of the OS 6 inch map and as a subrectangular wooded enclosure on the 1941 ed. It is situated on a S-facing slope with the W-E Polehore Pill c. 120m to the S and the N-S River Slaney is c. 500m to the E. This is now a rectangular area (dims. 31m E-W; 29m N S) planted with coniferous trees and defined by a slight bank at N (Wth 1.5m; H 0.5m) and a scarp (H 0.8-1.4m) on the other sides. There is no evidence of a fosse or entrance, but it is probably a rath. Archaeological testing (07E0635) to the W and N of the enclosure failed to produce any material except post-medieval pottery (Colfer 2007).

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: 14 December, 2012

References

Colfer, N 2010 Polehore. Possible rectangular enclosure. in I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2007: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 549, No. 1975, Dublin, Wordwell.