Ringfort (Rath), Ballycuddihy, Co. Kilkenny
Co. Kilkenny |
Ringforts
At the highest point of a hill in Ballycuddihy, a broad circular earthwork sits quietly in the Kilkenny countryside, known locally by the affectionate diminutive 'Raheen', meaning little fort.
What makes it quietly odd is the contrast between its commanding position and its sodden interior: despite being elevated above the surrounding landscape, the ground enclosed within the monument is wet and marshy, a feature that has presumably persisted for centuries without discouraging either its builders or subsequent generations from treating the site as significant.
The monument is a ringfort, a type of enclosed farmstead built predominantly between the sixth and tenth centuries, typically consisting of a raised circular area defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches. At Raheen, the interior measures roughly 55 metres in diameter north to south, and it is defined by a scarp rather than a conventional bank. Outside this, a broad waterlogged fosse, or ditch, runs around the perimeter, measuring between 3.5 and 4 metres wide. Beyond the fosse sits a narrower outer bank, about 1.1 metres high and 1.8 metres wide, whose composition closely resembles the field boundaries nearby, suggesting it is a relatively modern addition rather than part of the original construction. There are two entrances: a causewayed opening at the south, 1.7 metres wide, and a wider possible entrance to the east at 4.65 metres, where the fosse gives way to a raised triangular area. An additional detail of later occupation appears on the south-south-west face, where a lime kiln, a structure used to burn limestone and produce agricultural lime, was built into the base of the monument's outer edge. Its presence is recorded on the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map, placing its construction in the nineteenth century at the latest. The ringfort does not sit in isolation either; a related enclosure lies 140 metres to the east and another ringfort 500 metres to the west-south-west, suggesting this hilltop formed part of a broader pattern of early medieval settlement across the area.