Ringfort (Rath), Churchfield, Co. Mayo

Co. Mayo |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Rath), Churchfield, Co. Mayo

Beneath a dense tangle of brambles and gorse in the townland of Churchfield, Co. Mayo, there is almost certainly a souterrain, an underground passage or chamber of early medieval construction, that nobody has been able to reach for quite some time.

The ringfort that contains it crowns a prominent rise in the southeast corner of the townland, with open views across a rolling landscape of pasture and bog, and it has the look of a place that has been quietly resisting inspection for centuries.

The rath, as ringforts of earthen construction are often called, forms a roughly circular enclosure measuring around 31 metres north to south and between 30 and 35 metres east to west. Its defining feature is an earth and stone bank, some 3.2 metres wide on the western side, which still stands to an external height of nearly 1.9 metres at the south. That is a substantial piece of early medieval engineering, and the bank carries signs of a longer life than its original builders intended. At some point, the outer face was cut back to a vertical line and roughly faced with stone, though much of that facing has since tumbled. Sections of the bank were also absorbed into later field fences along the south-southwest and west-northwest arcs, suggesting that the enclosure continued to serve a practical purpose in the landscape long after it ceased to be an occupied settlement. There is a gap of about 1.4 metres at the top of the western bank, but it does not resolve into a clear formal entrance. And somewhere within the interior, local tradition holds, lies the souterrain, a feature commonly associated with early Irish ringforts and typically used for storage or refuge.

For now, that interior remains inaccessible. The entire enclosed area is swallowed by brambles described as impenetrable, and the bank itself is heavily ringed with hawthorn and gorse. The souterrain, if it exists, is not going to reveal itself easily.

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), Churchfield, Co. Mayo. 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: 50 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement