Ringfort (Rath), Rinneen, Co. Galway

Co. Galway |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Rinneen, Co. Galway

In the level farmland around Rinneen in County Galway, a ringfort once stood, roughly twenty-four metres across, encircled by an earthen bank that would have defined a family's home and landholding during the early medieval period.

A rath, as this type of enclosure is often called, typically comprised a raised circular bank and ditch surrounding a domestic settlement, and thousands of them once dotted the Irish landscape. This one, however, is no longer visible. It survives only as a mark on a map.

The 1838 edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map recorded the enclosure as a clear circular feature, which is the sole evidence that it ever existed in any legible form. By the time anyone thought to document it more formally, a field boundary running roughly north-west to south-east had already cut across it from the west, and a road aligned north-east to south-west had clipped its eastern and south-eastern edges. Between the two, the earthwork was effectively erased. No visible surface trace now survives. What the 1838 surveyors captured was, in all likelihood, a feature already under pressure from the reorganisation of land that accelerated through the nineteenth century, as older field patterns gave way to new agricultural boundaries that had little reason to respect ancient enclosures.

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), Rinneen, Co. Galway. 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