Rathmore, Gortaneden, Co. Mayo

Co. Mayo |

Mottes & Baileys

Rathmore, Gortaneden, Co. Mayo

Standing on a natural rise in the pastureland of Rathmore, Gortaneden, this intriguing earthwork commands excellent views across the undulating Mayo countryside, particularly towards the south and west.

The monument consists of a substantial flat-topped earthen platform, roughly 25 metres across and rising about 3 metres high. Though now completely overgrown with an impenetrable thicket of blackthorn that makes close inspection challenging, the structure's impressive proportions remain clearly visible.

The platform is encircled by an earthen bank that stands 1.75 metres high, positioned about 2 metres from the base of the central mound. This defensive bank runs from the south round to the northwest, where it merges naturally with the rising ground, whilst a field fence that may incorporate parts of the original outer defences curves around from the northeast to the south. At the north-northwest side, someone has quarried out a semi-circular section from the mound's slope, creating a hollow about 10 metres wide; the purpose and date of this modification remain unclear.

The site's defensive character is reflected in local place names, with a hamlet or farmstead situated about 150 metres to the southeast bearing the name 'Moat' on both the 1838 and 1922 Ordnance Survey maps. This wasn't an isolated fortification either; another rath lies just 120 metres to the north, suggesting this area held strategic importance for early medieval communities who built these ringforts throughout the Irish landscape.

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Pete F
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