That height is worth pausing on. Many ringforts across Ireland have been worn down over the centuries by ploughing, animal traffic, and general neglect, so finding one that still commands the skyline with this kind of presence is relatively uncommon.

A ringfort, or rath, is the most numerous monument type in the Irish landscape. These circular enclosures were typically farmsteads, built and occupied roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, with the enclosing bank serving as a boundary and a deterrent to livestock raiders rather than a military fortification in any formal sense. This example at Rathgire measures approximately 37 metres north to south and 34 metres east to west, making it a reasonably substantial example. A gap in the bank to the south-east marks what was likely an original entrance, though it now sits where a field fence meets the bank. Perhaps the most compelling feature here is underground. The interior contains a souterrain, an artificial underground passage or chamber cut into the earth, typically stone-lined. Souterrains associated with ringforts are thought to have served as storage spaces or places of refuge, and their presence suggests a settlement with some degree of permanence and organisation.