Ringfort (Rath), Doohyle More, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Doohyle More, Co. Limerick

A circle of mature trees sitting in open pasture on a Limerick hillside is rarely what it appears to be.

At Doohyle More, that canopy marks the interior of a ringfort, a type of enclosed farmstead typically dating from the early medieval period, roughly 500 to 1000 AD, when Irish farming families built circular banks of earth and stone around their homesteads for protection and to define their territory. This particular example sits on a break in a south-west-facing slope, its level interior shaded by trees old enough to have become a landscape feature in their own right, with limestone bedrock breaking through the ground beneath them in places.

The fort was recorded and compiled by Denis Power, with notes uploaded in August 2011. The enclosure measures approximately 30 metres in diameter, defined by an earth-and-stone bank that stands about 0.9 metres high on the interior side and 0.45 metres on the exterior. The bank is best preserved along the northern to south-eastern arc, but from the south-south-east around to the west it has been absorbed into the local field boundary system, with a dry-stone wall built along its top. A raised area of limestone outcrop adjoins the fort to the west, and boulders have been dumped against the bank at the south-east and north, suggesting the site has served a practical agricultural purpose long after its original function was forgotten.

The site sits in pasture, so access will depend on the landowner and the condition of the surrounding fields. The partial absorption of the bank into field walls is worth paying attention to as you approach from the south or west, since the transition between prehistoric earthwork and more recent dry-stone construction is visible rather than assumed. The tree cover inside makes the interior feel enclosed even without a significant standing bank, and the patches of exposed limestone bedrock give a sense of the thin, stony ground that would have shaped life here for any early medieval occupant. The north-to-south-east arc of the bank, where the original profile is least disturbed, gives the clearest impression of how the structure would once have presented itself across the hillside.

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), Doohyle More, Co. Limerick. 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