Ringfort (Rath), Shanakill, Co. Cork

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Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Shanakill, Co. Cork

In a level field above the floodplain of the Rathcool River in Mid Cork, a low circular mound sits quietly in the pasture, easy to walk past without a second glance.

It is, in fact, a rath, the Irish term for a ringfort, a type of enclosed farmstead typically built during the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. Thousands of these survive across Ireland, yet each one carries its own particular character, and this one is no exception.

The earthen bank that defines the enclosure runs in a near-perfect circle, measuring about 31 metres north to south and 29.5 metres east to west. It rises to approximately 1.8 metres in height and is accompanied by a shallow external fosse, the term for the ditch from which the bank material was originally dug. A gap of around 2.3 metres in the bank to the east-northeast marks the original entrance. The interior, once used for growing vegetables at some point in more recent history, is now grass-covered, which has helped preserve the underlying archaeology. The site sits just above the floodplain, a position that would have made practical sense to whoever chose it, offering reasonable drainage while remaining close to the river and its resources.

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