Ringfort (Rath), Kilcolumb, Co. Galway
Co. Galway |
Ringforts
In a field of level grassland in north Galway, a roughly circular earthwork sits with enough clarity that its original purpose is still legible after more than a thousand years.
It is a rath, the most common type of early medieval enclosure in Ireland, built to define and protect a farmstead, and this one has survived in notably good condition. The bank of earth and stone that forms its boundary remains intact, as does the fosse, the external ditch dug to reinforce the enclosure's defensive profile.
The site measures approximately 46 metres north to south and 43 metres east to west, making it a reasonably substantial example of its type. Raths varied considerably in size and elaboration, from simple single-banked enclosures like this one to more complex multivallate structures with several concentric rings of bank and ditch. What gives this particular example some quiet interest is the survival of its entrance, a gap 3.4 metres wide on the southern side. Southerly and south-easterly orientations for rath entrances were common in early medieval Ireland, possibly for practical reasons related to prevailing weather and sunlight, and the fact that this one can still be identified on the ground adds a small but specific detail to what might otherwise be read as just a grassy mound.