Ringfort (Rath), Ballyisland, Co. Cork

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Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Ballyisland, Co. Cork

There is a field near Lough Hyne in west Cork where an ancient settlement once stood and now leaves no trace whatsoever.

No earthwork, no hollow, no rise in the ground. The site is effectively invisible, which makes it, in its own quiet way, one of the more thought-provoking places in the area.

A rath, or ringfort, is an enclosed farmstead of the early medieval period, typically formed by one or more circular earthen banks and ditches surrounding a dwelling. Thousands survive across Ireland, but this one did not. It measured approximately thirty metres in diameter and sat in pasture on ground that fell westward toward Lough Hyne, with rock outcrops and higher ground rising behind it to the east. The position, commanding a view over one of Ireland's few saltwater lakes, suggests it was carefully chosen. By 1842 it was recorded on the Ordnance Survey six-inch map as a hachured circular enclosure, the standard cartographic shorthand for an earthwork of this kind. At some point around 1960 it was levelled, most likely during agricultural improvement work, and no visible surface trace has remained since.

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Pete F
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