Ringfort (Rath), Ballyshehan, Co. Cork

Co. Cork |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Ballyshehan, Co. Cork

There is nothing to see at Ballyshehan, and that is precisely what makes it interesting.

A ringfort, or rath, once occupied a gently south-facing slope in this corner of north Cork, its circular earthen bank enclosing a space of roughly thirty metres across. Ringforts are the most common field monument in Ireland, typically dating from the early medieval period and serving as enclosed farmsteads for a single family and their livestock. This one has been levelled entirely, leaving no visible trace on the surface of the pasture that now covers it.

The site was recorded on the Ordnance Survey six-inch map of 1842, shown as a hachured circular enclosure, which is the cartographic shorthand surveyors used to indicate a raised bank or earthwork. Alongside it, on the south-south-west of the bank, a lime kiln was also marked. Lime kilns were a common feature of the rural Irish landscape, used to burn limestone and produce quicklime for agricultural use, and their presence beside a ringfort bank is not unusual since the earthwork itself would have offered a convenient windbreak or structural support. At some point after that survey was made, the monument was removed, most likely through agricultural clearance. A townland boundary running north-west to south-east now cuts across the area where the fort stood, bisecting it off-centre to the south-west. The only remaining evidence of the enclosure's existence is a soilmark visible in aerial photography, where differences in soil composition and moisture retention betray the ghost of the old bank beneath the grass.

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), Ballyshehan, Co. Cork. 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