Ringforts, known in Irish as raths or lios depending on regional tradition, were the most common form of rural settlement in early medieval Ireland, typically consisting of a raised circular enclosure defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches. They served as farmsteads, enclosing a family's dwelling space and protecting livestock from both human and animal threats. There are estimated to be around 45,000 surviving examples across the island, yet each one occupies a specific patch of ground chosen deliberately by the people who built it, for reasons of drainage, visibility, or proximity to water that often still make quiet sense when you stand inside one.