Fort, Clonisboyle, Co. Monaghan
Co. Monaghan |
Ringforts
On a drumlin ridge in County Monaghan, aligned northwest to southeast as glacial landforms in this part of Ireland tend to be, sits a rath that has been slowly disappearing beneath grass and rushes since at least 1968.
A rath is a type of enclosed farmstead or settlement, typically of early medieval date, defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches. This one is circular, measuring roughly 34.6 metres east to west and 32.3 metres north to south internally, and it retains enough of its original form to read clearly in the landscape, even if vegetation has done its best to obscure the detail.
The site preserves two concentric earthen banks, the inner one wider at its base than the outer, separated by a fosse, which is the ditch dug to create and reinforce the bank above it. Fragments of the outer bank survive mainly along the north-northeast to east arc. At the eastern side, an original entrance is still traceable, with a low causeway crossing the fosse, three metres wide and only fifteen centimetres above the surrounding ground, the kind of subtle feature that can easily be missed underfoot. The slight downward slope toward the east on the interior may have aided drainage, a practical consideration that would have mattered considerably to whoever once lived within these banks. The drumlin top location is typical of rath placement in Ulster, offering a degree of natural elevation and visibility without requiring the dramatic heights associated with hillforts further west.