Ringfort (Rath), Windsor, Co. Cork
Co. Cork |
Ringforts
What survives at Windsor in mid Cork is only part of what once existed here.
A ringfort, or rath, is an enclosed farmstead of the early medieval period, typically defined by one or more circular earthen banks and ditches, and this one originally had two such enclosing ramparts. The outer one was deliberately levelled, probably sometime in the late nineteenth century, leaving the inner circuit to carry the full weight of the site's presence.
Writing in 1939, a researcher named Hartnett noted that the destruction of the outer rampart had occurred around thirty years prior to his account, and that a section of it still remained to the west. That remnant aside, no visible surface trace of the outer bank survives today. What does remain is a circular enclosure measuring roughly 32.5 metres in diameter, its earthen bank rising about 1.55 metres on the interior face, with an external fosse, essentially a ditch, still present to a depth of around 0.55 metres. The entrance faces south-west, which is a relatively common orientation for ringforts across Ireland. Within the interior, there is a possible souterrain, an underground stone-lined passage or chamber that in early medieval contexts was typically used for storage or refuge, though this feature has not been confirmed by excavation.
The fort sits in pasture, which means the ground surface is likely to be uneven and soft underfoot depending on the season. The earthworks are subtle enough that the outer fosse and bank can read as little more than gentle undulations in the field, and the missing outer rampart means the site appears less substantial than it once was. The western section identified by Hartnett as the surviving fragment of the outer bank is worth looking for, though it requires some patience to distinguish from the general roll of the land.