Ringfort (Rath), Poulaculleare, Co. Tipperary
Co. Tipperary |
Ringforts
In a field near Poulaculleare in County Tipperary, the outline of an early medieval enclosure sits quietly in the pastureland, its earthen bank still tracing an oval shape across a west-facing slope.
A rath, as this type of ringfort is sometimes called, was typically a circular or oval enclosure defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches, used as a farmstead and place of residence during the early medieval period in Ireland. Thousands survive across the island, but many have been damaged or erased by centuries of farming. This one has held on.
The enclosure measures roughly 38 metres north to south and just over 30 metres east to west, its boundary formed by an earthen and stone bank that is noticeably more pronounced on the eastern side. On the western side, the bank has been somewhat cut back over time and pressed into service as a field boundary, with post and wire fencing now running along its crest. Despite this, stone revetting, that is, a facing of stone used to stabilise and retain the bank, survives on the outer face in the north-east and west quadrants, suggesting the original construction was more substantial than what remains today. A gap of about three metres in the southern part of the bank may be the original entrance into the enclosure. The interior is largely clear of vegetation apart from a patch of brambles in the south-east corner, and several mature oak trees have taken root in the bank itself, their presence giving the site an air of long, undisturbed occupation.
