Ringfort (Rath), Glanbane, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Glanbane, Co. Kerry

Scattered across the Irish countryside in numbers once estimated at around 40,000, ringforts are among the most common archaeological monuments on the island, yet each one carries its own particular silence.

The example at Glanbane in County Kerry is one such place, a rath sitting quietly in the landscape with little yet documented in the public record to explain who built it, when, or why they chose this particular ground.

Raths, the earthen variety of ringfort, were typically constructed during the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, and served as enclosed farmsteads for individual family groups. A bank of earth, sometimes topped with a timber palisade, encircled a central living area, with the whole structure functioning as much as a marker of social status as a means of defence. Kerry's terrain, shaped by Atlantic weather and the long ridges of the Iveragh and Dingle peninsulas, is particularly dense with such monuments, many of them still visible as low grassy rings in fields that have been farmed continuously for over a millennium. Glanbane itself sits in a quiet inland fold of the county, a placename that in Irish suggests a bright or white valley, though the precise contours of the site's own history remain, for now, unrecorded in any publicly available form.

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), Glanbane, 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