Ringfort (Rath), Toomaline Upper, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Toomaline Upper, Co. Limerick

A low earthen scarp barely knee-high in places is not the most obvious thing to seek out in a Limerick pasture, yet this modest rise in the ground at Toomaline Upper preserves the outline of a ringfort, the type of enclosed farmstead that once defined the Irish rural landscape in the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries.

Ringforts, sometimes called raths, were typically circular or subcircular enclosures defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches, built to protect a family, their livestock, and their stores. This one sits on a slight south-east-facing slope, which would have been a deliberate choice; the ground opens up with clear views to the south, west, and west-northwest, while the terrain closes in elsewhere, giving the occupants a natural advantage in watching the surrounding land.

By the time the Ordnance Survey recorded the area on their 25-inch map of 1897, the fort had already been reduced to something resembling a semi-circular area, its western side defined largely by a field boundary rather than its original earthwork. When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland examined it in 1999, surveyors Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly recorded a subcircular enclosure measuring roughly 24 metres north to south and 18 metres east to west. The defining feature is a scarp, an abrupt change in ground level produced by erosion or deliberate cutting, here about 1.7 metres wide and 0.7 metres high. The northern section has been worn away further over time, and there is a possible entrance ramp, roughly 2.4 metres wide, on the eastern side. A disused field boundary of earth and stone runs across the western interior, suggesting the enclosed space was at some point absorbed into the working field system around it.

The site sits in ordinary farmland, so access is a matter of permission from the landowner rather than a marked trail. Aerial and satellite imagery, including Digital Globe orthophotos from 2011 to 2013 and a Google Earth image from November 2018, shows the enclosure still legible as a partially tree-lined oval from above, which gives a clearer sense of its shape than a ground-level visit might. If you do stand inside it, the level interior and the slight drop of the scarp underfoot are the most tangible reminders of what was once a deliberately engineered domestic boundary, still holding its form after more than a thousand years of ploughing, grazing, and quiet neglect.

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), Toomaline Upper, 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