Enclosure (Large), Rathmore North, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Enclosures

Enclosure (Large), Rathmore North, Co. Limerick

In a quiet stretch of pasture in Rathmore North, Co. Limerick, there is an earthwork so large and so worn that it is easier to grasp from the air than from the ground.

At roughly 76 metres across, it is not a modest ring or a modest mound but a substantial subcircular enclosure, the kind of feature that could swallow a sizeable farmyard whole, and yet most people passing within a few hundred metres of it would have little idea it was there.

The monument sits about 235 metres south-west of the townland boundary with Cloghnamanagh and roughly 445 metres west-north-west of the Camoge River. It was already recorded on the Ordnance Survey 25-inch map of 1897, where it appears as a pennanular earthwork, meaning roughly ring-shaped but open on one side, in this case to the west. The scholar O'Kelly, writing in 1944 and classifying it as Earthwork Type B, described a raised platform edged by a bank and surrounded by a fosse, which is the term for a defensive or boundary ditch cut around an earthwork. Even then, the bank was described as very slight and the western side almost obliterated. The overall diameter at that time was recorded as 325 feet, or roughly 99 metres, which is somewhat larger than the measurements captured in more recent aerial surveys. The site shows up clearly on aerial photographs taken in October 2002 and on orthoimage surveys conducted between 2005 and 2013, which remain among the best ways to appreciate its scale and shape.

Because the monument sits in working pasture and is considerably eroded, a visit requires patience and a willingness to read the landscape slowly. The ground-level impression may be subtle, a gentle swelling or a low hollow where the fosse once ran, rather than anything dramatic. The aerial images, accessible through the Archaeological Survey of Ireland and Google Earth, are worth consulting before or after a visit to orient yourself to what you are looking at. The site is close to the Camoge River valley and lies within a wider landscape that repays quiet attention, particularly in low-raking winter light when earthworks cast longer shadows and the faint geometry of old enclosures becomes briefly legible again.

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 Enclosure (Large), Rathmore North, 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