Ringfort (Rath), An Fál Carrach,Baile An Teampaill, Co. Donegal
In the townland of An Fál Carrach, Baile An Teampaill in County Donegal, the remnants of what appears to be an ancient ringfort sit quietly alongside a modern road.
Ringfort (Rath), An Fál Carrach,Baile An Teampaill, Co. Donegal
Only the western half of this once circular enclosure survives; the eastern portion likely fell victim to road construction at some point in the past. What remains is a grassed bank, barely half a metre high and weathered almost beyond recognition in places, with large stones still visible along its outer face. The structure measures approximately 17 metres in diameter from north to south, and whilst it may have been a cashel (a stone fort), the stony nature of the bank could simply be due to natural gravel deposits in the area. A modern field wall now cuts across the level interior from east to west, and the whole site occupies relatively flat ground at the top of a steep, west facing slope that’s currently used for grazing.
This ringfort, catalogued as SMR 25:39, sits within an archaeologically rich landscape. Nearby features include the site of an unlocated holy well (SMR 25:40), another ringfort (SMR 25:43), the ruins of Tullaghobegley Church (SMR 25:42), and the former location of a court tomb that has since been removed (SMR 25:41). A well preserved limekiln also stands in the southern part of the area, though it remains unaffected by modern development.
Archaeological testing carried out in June 2002 as part of planning requirements for new housing revealed little beneath the surface. Seventeen test trenches showed consistent stratigraphy throughout the site: topsoil overlying blue grey boulder clay, which in turn sat above iron rich, yellow brown clay mixed with fragments of schist bedrock. Despite the area’s rich archaeological heritage, these particular excavations yielded nothing of significance, suggesting that whilst the visible monuments tell their story above ground, the immediate subsurface holds few additional secrets.





