Ringfort (Rath), Dromard Demesne, Co. Limerick

Co. Limerick |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Dromard Demesne, Co. Limerick

Some of the most telling entries in Irish archaeological records are not descriptions of what survives, but of what no longer does.

At Dromard Demesne in County Limerick, a ringfort once occupied a gentle east-facing slope in what is now open pasture. By the time Denis Power inspected the site and compiled his notes, uploaded in August 2011, there was nothing left to see. The monument had been levelled entirely, leaving no visible trace on the ground.

Ringforts, sometimes called raths, are among the most common monument types in Ireland, earthen enclosures typically used as farmsteads during the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. They generally consist of a circular bank and ditch enclosing a domestic area. The Dromard example was recorded on the 1923 Ordnance Survey six-inch map as a penannular embanked enclosure, meaning the bank formed an almost complete circle with a deliberate gap, most likely marking an entrance. Its diameter was approximately thirty metres, which falls within the typical range for a single-farmstead rath. That 1923 map record is now the primary evidence that it ever existed at all.

For anyone visiting Dromard Demesne with the intention of finding this site, the honest assessment is that there is nothing to find. The land is in agricultural use, the slope is unremarkable, and the earthworks have been thoroughly removed. What the site offers instead is a different kind of encounter, the experience of standing in a field where an early medieval enclosure once stood and reading its absence rather than its presence. The 1923 OS six-inch map series, available through various digitised archives online, remains the best way to locate the approximate position and to see what the monument looked like when it was still being recorded by surveyors. That gap between the map and the field is, in its own quiet way, a fairly accurate portrait of how much of Ireland's early medieval landscape has been lost to centuries of farming and land improvement.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Ringfort (Rath), Dromard Demesne, Co. Limerick. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement