Rathnaguillagh, Monalumpera, Co. Tipperary South

Co. Tipperary |

Mottes & Baileys

Rathnaguillagh, Monalumpera, Co. Tipperary South

In the flat, poorly drained countryside near Rathnaguillagh, Monalumpera in County Tipperary South, a curious earthwork rises modestly from the surrounding landscape.

This possible ringwork, which offers commanding views across the terrain with a stream flowing to the east, sits in intriguing proximity to other ancient fortifications; a moated site lies 335 metres to the northwest, whilst a ringfort can be found 270 metres to the north. The monument consists of a slightly raised circular area measuring 17 metres north to south and 14 metres east to west, enclosed by an earthen bank that stands about a metre high on its exterior face.

What makes this site particularly fascinating is its unusual dual structure, reminiscent of a motte and bailey arrangement more commonly associated with Norman fortifications. The smaller raised circular area sits at the northern end of a larger enclosure or possible bailey, which spans 36 metres north to south and 38 metres east to west. This outer enclosure is defined by an earth and stone bank, with an external fosse or defensive ditch that's five metres wide at the top and half a metre deep. The earthen banks extend from the eastern and northwestern faces of the inner ringwork, creating a connected defensive system. A possible causewayed entrance, about three metres wide, appears to breach the southern perimeter.

The monument's evolving cartographic representation adds another layer of mystery to its interpretation. Whilst the latest edition Ordnance Survey six inch map depicts it simply as a circular enclosure, the first edition shows something more complex; a small enclosure within a larger one, suggesting that early surveyors recognised its distinctive double structure. This discrepancy in historical mapping, combined with the monument's unusual design features, raises intriguing questions about its original purpose and the people who constructed it, whether they were Irish nobles adapting Norman defensive ideas or perhaps Norman settlers themselves establishing a foothold in the Tipperary countryside.

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