Ringfort (Rath), Ballydonohoe, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Ballydonohoe, Co. Kerry

At the top of a boggy field in Ballydonohoe, in north County Kerry, a double-banked ringfort sits with an unusually long causeway running along its southern approach.

Most raths, as these early medieval earthwork enclosures are commonly known, present their entrance without ceremony, but here the outer bank extends and widens to form a raised causeway roughly seven metres wide and over twenty metres in length before reaching the site proper. It is a structural detail that suggests the approach was considered as carefully as the enclosure itself.

The ringfort is bivallate, meaning it has two enclosing banks rather than the single bank more typical of simpler examples. The inner area measures approximately 27 metres north to south and 25 metres east to west, and is defined by a well-preserved inner bank that rises 1.4 metres above the fosse, the U-shaped external ditch that sits between the two banks. The outer bank, though much levelled over time, still stands roughly a metre above the surrounding ground. Immediately to the north lies a sub-rectangular enclosure that may have functioned as a bawn, a term for a walled or embanked yard often associated with a defended residence. What survives of it is a raised platform measuring 17 by 14 metres, bisected by a later field bank running east to west, with an opening to the south and a small depression just inside that opening. Whether this enclosure was contemporary with the ringfort and functioned as an ancillary yard or compound is not certain, but the proximity is suggestive. To the northeast, a holy well known as Toberboy adds a further layer to the immediate landscape, a reminder that early settlement in Ireland was often clustered around water sources carrying both practical and ritual significance.

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 Ringfort (Rath), Ballydonohoe, Co. Kerry. 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