Ringfort (Rath), Lisduff, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Lisduff, Co. Kerry

Some archaeological sites are remarkable for what remains.

This one is notable for the opposite. A circular enclosure once stood in Lisduff, County Kerry, and by the mid-nineteenth century it was visible enough to be recorded on the 1842 Ordnance Survey map. By the time the next edition of that map was produced, only a tiny fragment survived. Today, nothing can be found at all.

The site was a rath, the Irish term for a ringfort, which was typically a circular earthen bank enclosing a farmstead and used predominantly during the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. Ringforts are among the most common monument types in the Irish landscape, with tens of thousands recorded across the island, but their survival is uneven. This particular enclosure sat to the south-east of a neighbouring ringfort, also recorded in Lisduff, suggesting the area once had a degree of early settlement that is now almost entirely erased. C. Toal's North Kerry Archaeological Survey, published in 1995, documented the site and noted its progressive disappearance across successive map editions, placing it in the broader context of a region whose archaeological record has been subject to considerable loss over time.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Ringfort (Rath), Lisduff, Co. Kerry. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement