Ringfort (Rath), Inch St. Lawrence North, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Inch St. Lawrence North, Co. Limerick

A low earthwork sitting quietly in damp Limerick pasture, this rath in Inch St. Lawrence North is the kind of place that most people would walk straight past without a second glance.

It reads, at first, as a slight rise in a poorly-drained field, a gentle swelling of ground on a south-facing slope. Look more carefully, though, and the geometry becomes unmistakeable: a roughly circular platform, a surrounding ditch, a low outer bank, all surviving in reasonable condition despite the attentions of later agricultural use.

Raths, sometimes called ringforts, are among the most common archaeological monument types in Ireland, numbering in the tens of thousands across the island. They were typically built and occupied during the early medieval period, roughly the fifth to twelfth centuries, and functioned as enclosed farmsteads, the homes of farming families and their livestock rather than military fortifications in any grand sense. This particular example measures approximately 18.5 metres east to west and 17.2 metres north to south, making it a fairly modest specimen. Its enclosing element consists of a scarped edge, essentially a cut-and-raised earthen lip, rising around 0.9 metres, with an external fosse, the ditch that runs around the outside of that edge, measuring nearly five metres wide. Beyond the fosse sits a low counter-scarp bank, the modest ridge of spoil thrown outward when the ditch was originally dug. The record was compiled by Denis Power and uploaded to the national database in June 2013.

The site sits on gently undulating ground with open views to the south-west, west, and south, which is a reminder that even a modest rath was rarely placed randomly; its occupants would have surveyed the surrounding landscape with some purpose. One element worth noting is a field boundary that cuts across the enclosing works from the east-south-east to the south, truncating part of the monument. This kind of later interference is common on farmland that has been in continuous use for centuries, and it means the southern arc of the earthwork is less legible than the northern. The site sits in pasture, so underfoot conditions are likely soft, and rubber boots are advisable in anything other than a dry spell.

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), Inch St. Lawrence North, Co. Limerick. 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