Ringfort (Rath), Rockhill (Ballymacool Ed), Co. Donegal
Hidden within the forested landscape of Rockhill in County Donegal lies the subtle remains of an ancient ringfort, a type of fortified homestead that once dotted the Irish countryside.
Ringfort (Rath), Rockhill (Ballymacool Ed), Co. Donegal
Though marked as a ‘Fort’ on historical records, this particular site has proven rather elusive; it doesn’t appear on either the first or second editions of the Ordnance Survey 6-inch maps, suggesting it had already faded from local memory or prominence by the time those surveys were conducted in the 19th century.
What remains today is an oval earthwork measuring approximately 110 feet from north to south and 100 feet from east to west, now obscured by the forest that has reclaimed the area. These dimensions place it within the typical size range for a rath, the Irish term for these circular or oval earthen enclosures that served as defended farmsteads for prosperous families during the early medieval period, roughly between 500 and 1200 CE.
The site was documented as part of the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983. This extensive survey catalogued field antiquities across the county spanning from the Mesolithic Period through to the 17th century, providing crucial documentation of sites like this Rockhill ringfort that might otherwise be forgotten as nature continues to conceal their earthen banks and ditches beneath vegetation and soil.





