Ecclesiastical enclosure in Killaree

On the flat floor of a small N-S stream valley, the sides of which rise quite steeply, in grassland. There are very poor views except N and S along the valley. The OS Letters (1839) describe, 'a large Rath in the Townland of Killeree from which the townland is said to have had its name. It is ninety yards [82m] in diameter, the mound about seven feet [2.1m] in height; it was surrounded by a trench, traces of which remain on the south east. The inside is nearly level with the top of the mound. There are several little heaps of stones and thorns scattered over the surface and the neighbours affirm that these heaps mark the sites of stone builidings and say farther that there are three of the Kings of Ireland buried in it, whence the name Kileree or the Cell of the Kings' (O'Flanagan ed. 1930, vol. 1, 203 (67-8). Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 268-9) gives a translation of the townland name as 'Cill Láithrigh, the Church of Laithreach' and states that the, 'ancient name of the townland was Laithreach, which appears as "Lavertach" in a document of 1247. The Kyle, or church, has long disappeared'. The enclosure consists of a large, roughly circular area (int. diam. c. 85m) defined by earthen bank (Wth c. 4m; int H 1.5m; ext H 2.5m) except at the NE where it has been removed. There is no evidence of the fosse or 'trench' mentioned by the OS Letters in the SE quadrant, but it may have been filled in. The entrance (Wth 4m) in the SE quadrant is likely to be original. There are raised features in the interior but no pattern could be discerned. It is possibly that these are the remains of an early medieval church (KK014-050003-) and other buildings (KK014-050002-) and that the surrounding enclosure has ecclesiastical associations.