Ringfort (Rath), Ballynacarriga, Co. Cork
Co. Cork |
Ringforts
What survives of this early medieval settlement in Ballynacarriga, County Cork, is easy to overlook precisely because it has been so thoroughly absorbed into the working landscape around it.
The earthen bank that once enclosed the site has become part of the field boundary system, its original purpose quietly retired into agricultural routine.
A rath is a ringfort defined by earthen rather than stone construction, typically dating from the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, and used as a farmstead enclosure for a single family and their livestock. This particular example occupies a slight rise on a gently south-south-west-facing slope, now given over to pasture. The enclosed area measures approximately 39 metres east to west and 37 metres north to south, making it a fairly typical specimen in terms of scale. The bank itself, where it runs from west to north, stands around 0.55 metres high and 1.3 metres wide. Along the northern and western arc, the remains are considerably more modest, with the interior raised only about 0.15 metres above the surrounding ground and a shallow external fosse, essentially a defensive ditch, surviving to a depth of just 0.1 metres. These are subtle earthworks, and the incorporation of the bank into later field boundaries means the original circuit is now only partially legible as an independent feature.