Ringfort (Rath), Shanrath, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Shanrath, Co. Limerick

The townland of Shanrath in County Limerick takes its name, most likely, from the Irish for "old fort", and the earthwork sitting quietly in its pasture land gives that etymology something solid to rest on.

What makes this particular site quietly arresting is the way it has been absorbed into the working landscape without quite disappearing. A ramp, 4.5 metres wide, has been cut across the bank at the south-west, presumably to allow farm machinery or livestock to pass in and out of the interior. The modification is recent enough to be noted in the survey record, and it serves as a small reminder that these monuments are not museum pieces sealed off from ordinary life, but features that farmers have been working around, and sometimes working with, for centuries.

The fort is a rath, which is the most common type of early medieval Irish ringfort, typically a circular enclosure defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches, used as a farmstead or high-status residence between roughly the fifth and twelfth centuries. This example, recorded by Denis Power and uploaded to the Archaeological Survey of Ireland in August 2011, sits on a slight east-facing slope overlooking the River Deel. The enclosure is roughly circular, measuring 26.3 metres north to south and 24.6 metres east to west. The earthen bank survives to an internal height of 1.95 metres and an external height of 2.45 metres, figures that suggest reasonable preservation given the centuries of agricultural pressure. An external fosse, the ditch that would originally have reinforced the defensive or status-marking function of the bank, runs from the west around to the north-east, measuring about half a metre deep and just over two metres wide. The original entrance, 3.5 metres across, is at the north-east.

The enclosing bank is now heavily covered in trees and scrub, which makes the earthwork easier to read in some ways and harder to walk around in others. The interior, by contrast, is level and largely clear, under pasture except for some overgrowth along the margins and in the northern quarter. The position on the slope, looking out towards the Deel, gives a sense of why this particular patch of ground was chosen, commanding a view of the river valley without sitting exposed on a hilltop. An aerial photograph taken in October 2002, held in the ASI archive, gives the clearest overall impression of the earthwork's shape and condition from above.

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), Shanrath, 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