Enclosure, Two-Pot-House, Co. Cork
Co. Cork |
Enclosures
On a raised rock outcrop in the north Cork pastureland near the townland of Two-Pot-House, a roughly circular earthwork sits quietly in a field, its original perimeter still legible despite centuries of wear and the more recent damage caused by quarrying.
The enclosure measures around 39 metres in diameter, defined by a fosse, essentially a ditch cut into the ground, running around its exterior, with a low bank thrown up alongside it. The interior is level, which on an elevated outcrop like this suggests deliberate effort was made to prepare the ground within.
The dimensions, though modest, are characteristic of a class of monument found throughout Ireland and associated broadly with early medieval settlement or activity, roughly the period from the fifth to the twelfth century. The fosse here is relatively shallow, at around 0.6 metres deep, and the accompanying bank rises only 0.6 metres on the interior face and slightly less on the exterior, suggesting this was never a heavily defended site. The eastern side of the bank has become ill-defined over time, worn down or disturbed. More significant is the damage to the northwest and south-southwest, where quarrying has cut away portions of both the fosse and the bank, removing evidence that might otherwise have helped clarify the enclosure's original extent and form. What remains gives a clear enough impression of the whole, a ring of modest earthworks on high ground, the kind of place that would have commanded a decent view across the surrounding countryside.
