Barrow (Ring Barrow), Oldtown (Bennett), Co. Limerick
Co. Limerick |
Barrows
In a low-lying field in County Limerick, the ground holds a peculiarity that is easy to miss at eye level but becomes oddly legible from the air.
A broad circular platform, raised only about thirty centimetres above the surrounding field, is enclosed by a water-logged ditch, or fosse, that has refused to drain despite the best efforts of agricultural drainage works over the years. The outer bank encircling that fosse is broken in four places, almost certainly where field drains were cut through it at some point in the farm's working life. And sitting within the north-western quarter of this larger platform, like a smaller thought inside a larger one, is a second, much more compact structure: a ring-barrow, which is a burial mound of the prehistoric period, typically consisting of a low central mound surrounded by its own ditch and a slight outer bank.
The site was recorded and described in detail between 1942 and 1943 by archaeologist O'Kelly, whose survey notes capture both the geometry and the waterlogged character of the place with some precision. The outer platform measures around 62 metres across overall, while the ring-barrow within it has an overall diameter of roughly 11 metres. O'Kelly noted that the inner ring-barrow was very well made, its fosse well defined and its surrounding bank still forming a continuous circuit, which sets it apart from the more damaged outer enclosure. The marshy, low-lying ground in which the whole complex sits has likely contributed to its survival, since heavy cultivation in such conditions is difficult, and the persistent waterlogging of the outer fosse suggests the landscape has always been damp here. Aerial photographs taken by the Archaeological Survey of Ireland in May 2003 confirmed that the outline of the barrow remains clearly visible from above.
Because this is agricultural land, access is not publicly guaranteed, and any visit would require the landowner's permission. The site is not formally waymarked or presented for visitors. The clearest sense of the monument's layout comes from aerial imagery rather than from walking across it, where the low relief can be difficult to read. Those with an interest in the site would do well to consult the ASI aerial photographs, referenced under the survey series ASIAP 369, which show the concentric outlines with considerable clarity. If you do stand in the field itself, the fosse around the inner ring-barrow is the feature most likely to register underfoot, particularly after rain, when the waterlogged ditch that has outlasted four drainage cuts makes its presence known.