Enclosure, Kilcolman West, Co. Limerick
Co. Limerick |
Enclosures
What looks, at first glance, like a slightly uneven field in County Limerick turns out to be something considerably older and more deliberate.
Sitting on a gentle north-facing slope in Kilcolman West, a D-shaped earthwork quietly survives beneath ordinary pasture, its straight northern edge and curved southern arc measuring roughly 24 metres north to south and 25 metres east to west. That flattened side is the detail that catches the eye of anyone who knows what to look for, because natural landforms do not generally produce straight lines.
The enclosure follows a form well recognised in the Irish archaeological record. An earthen bank, the kind built up from material thrown inward and outward during construction, defines the perimeter. On the interior the bank rises only about 0.4 metres above the enclosed ground, but on the exterior it stands considerably taller at around 1.35 metres, which suggests the spoil was deliberately piled outward to increase the apparent height of the barrier from outside. Running along the northeastern to southeastern arc is an external fosse, a broad shallow ditch approximately 0.4 metres deep and 0.8 metres wide, which would have added to the enclosure's definition and perhaps its drainage. Earthwork enclosures of this general type are associated across Ireland with early medieval settlement, typically between the sixth and twelfth centuries, though without excavation it is impossible to assign a precise date to this particular example. The site was recorded and compiled by Denis Power, with details uploaded in August 2011.
A farm track runs east to west along the outer base of the southern bank, which means the enclosure's southern edge is at least partly accessible from ground level without crossing open pasture. The interior is level and grassed over, with no visible surface features to suggest what once stood inside. Visitors with an interest in earthwork archaeology should look for the change in ground level where the bank begins, and pay particular attention to the straight northern edge, which gives the site its distinctive geometry. Because the whole thing sits under working pasture, a respectful approach and awareness of farming activity in the area is sensible at any time of year.