Ringfort (Rath), An Tulaigh, Co. Kerry
Co. Kerry |
Ringforts
Its Irish name, Lios an Phúca, translates roughly as the fort of the púca, a shape-shifting supernatural creature from Irish folklore.
That a ringfort on the lower slopes of Foilclogh, on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, carries such a name is itself a small window into how these ancient earthworks were perceived by local communities long after their original purpose had been forgotten. Ringforts, or raths, were typically enclosed farmsteads built during the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, consisting of a raised internal platform ringed by one or more earthen banks and ditches. When later generations could no longer account for their origins, folklore often filled the gap.
This particular rath is oval in plan, measuring approximately 22.5 metres north to south and 24 metres east to west, and sits in rough pasture just west of the Kealnanachree stream. The enclosing bank survives reasonably well, rising on average 2.5 metres from the base of the surrounding fosse, the ditch that runs around the outside of the bank. At the northern arc, the fosse is preserved to 1.5 metres below the external ground level, though its width varies considerably, between 1.3 metres and 3.4 metres at different points. Stone facing, visible intermittently on both flanks of the bank, hints at more deliberate construction than a simple earthwork, though the facing has been damaged over time by livestock. A gap of about 4.3 metres on the south-eastern side is thought to mark the original entrance, though there is no surviving causeway across the fosse to confirm it. Inside, the ground is uneven and heavily vegetated, dropping in two distinct terraced levels, the lower of which tilts more sharply toward the south.
The interior's dense vegetation and the absence of a fosse causeway at the entrance make close inspection a slightly awkward undertaking, and the surrounding rough pasture means the site is easier to read from its outer edge than from within. The best-preserved section of the fosse is at the north, where the full depth of the earthwork is most legible. The stream to the east and the rising ground of Foilclogh behind it provide some orientation for anyone trying to place the site within its landscape.