Ringfort (Rath), Ballygarrane, Co. Tipperary

Co. Tipperary |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Ballygarrane, Co. Tipperary

Between the first Ordnance Survey pass in 1840 and the second in 1906, half of this early medieval enclosure simply disappeared.

A field boundary now bisects it from northeast to southwest, the northwest half has been levelled to near nothing, and the southeast quadrant has been picked over by quarrying. What remains of the earthwork at Ballygarrane sits on a steep northwest-facing slope in hilly Tipperary pastureland, just back from the crest of a hill, its surviving bank most intact in the southwest quadrant where it rests partly on bare rock outcrop and carries a notable quantity of stone within its composition.

Ringforts, sometimes called raths, were the enclosed farmsteads of early medieval Ireland, typically dating from roughly the fifth to the twelfth centuries. They survive in their thousands across the country, though rarely in pristine condition. This example measured approximately 21 metres north to south and 23 metres east to west, a modest but typical size. The bank where it endures best rises about 1.3 metres above the interior and 0.6 metres above the exterior ground level, with a crest width of 1.4 metres and a base spread of 3.3 metres. A field bank running close and parallel to the southwest section complicates the picture further, making it harder to read the original outline clearly. Perhaps the most intriguing feature is the souterrain partially exposed in the north quadrant of the interior, roughly 9 metres from the bank. Souterrains were underground stone-lined passages or chambers built within ringforts, likely used for storage and possibly as places of refuge. A shallow trench, about 1.8 metres wide and only 15 centimetres deep, has also been cut along the internal base of the bank in the southeast quadrant, its purpose and date unclear.

The site is in working pastureland and the disturbed condition means there is relatively little to read on the ground without some effort. The souterrain, though only partially exposed, is the detail most worth locating, sitting well within the interior towards the north side of what was once the enclosed space.

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Pete F
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