Ringfort (Rath), Drumnagoal, Co. Sligo

Co. Sligo |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Drumnagoal, Co. Sligo

What survives at Drumnagoal is a skeleton of something that was once considerably more substantial.

On the north-western end of a low ridge in rough pasture, a raised oval platform is outlined by two close-set concentric rings of large slabs and boulders, the stones reaching no more than 0.6 metres in height at their tallest. This is the bare armature of a rath, a type of enclosed farmstead common throughout early medieval Ireland, typically formed by one or more earthen banks and ditches surrounding a domestic interior. Here, the earth and rubble that once packed the space between the two kerb rings, a band somewhere between 1.2 and 2 metres wide, has long since gone, leaving the stonework exposed like the spine of a structure stripped of its flesh.

The oval enclosure measures roughly 41.8 metres on its north-west to south-east axis and 30.6 metres across the north-east to south-west, giving it a modest but legible footprint. The double kerb is broken by gaps of varying sizes, some likely the result of stone robbing or field clearance over the centuries. Along the south-south-west to west-north-west arc, the perimeter wall has been absorbed into a later field boundary running north-west to south-east, a common fate for ancient enclosures whose stonework was simply too useful to leave alone. At the northern side, beside a wide gap, a single stone has been set transversely across the line of the other kerb stones, a small but deliberate anomaly that may indicate where the original entrance once stood.

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), Drumnagoal, Co. Sligo. 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