Enclosure, Lisheen, Co. Tipperary

Co. Tipperary |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Lisheen, Co. Tipperary

In the improved pasture near Lisheen, on a gentle rise in the Tipperary landscape, a modest oval hollow in the ground quietly refuses to be just a field.

What survives here is an ancient enclosure, the kind of earthwork that once defined a boundary between the inhabited and the open world, and it still carries enough physical presence to reward close attention. The outer fosse, a defensive or boundary ditch cut into the earth, survives in stretches to the north-northeast and southwest, measuring around 7.5 metres wide and 0.3 metres deep. The enclosing scarp, a low earthen edge or bank formed by the original cut, ranges from just over two metres to more than four metres in width and rises to about half a metre at its highest point. That may not sound imposing, but in a smoothed pastoral setting it is enough to read clearly.

What makes the site particularly interesting is the enclosure within the enclosure. A raised, sub-oval area roughly 10 metres east to west and 8 metres north to south sits inside the main oval, pressed against the northern scarp. Its own defining scarp is best preserved along a northwest-to-southeast line, and the interior is noticeably uneven, scattered with loose stones roughly 15 to 20 centimetres long. This nested arrangement, a smaller raised feature sitting inside a larger defined space, hints at a complexity of use or construction that a single pass across the field would not suggest. An aerial photograph taken in September 2002 adds another layer: it indicates that a second, neighbouring enclosure to the north may actually have surrounded the southern oval at some point, raising the possibility that what survives today is only part of a larger, more elaborate arrangement. Whether these were a single designed complex or features that accumulated over time remains an open question.

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, Lisheen, Co. Tipperary. 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