Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Aghadreenan

Located at the SE end of a NW-SE drumlin ridge. This rath is depicted on McCrea’s map of County Monaghan (1793) and on the 1834 and 1907 editions of the OS 6-inch map. It is a circular grass-covered area (diam. 28.4m NNE-SSW; 26m NW-SE) that slopes down from the centre to the SE (H 1.6m). It is defined by an earthen bank (at SE: Wth of base 7m; int. H 0.3m; ext. H 2.3m) that is largely reduced to an outer scarp (at NW: Wth 4.8m; H 2m), and an outer fosse (at SE: Wth 2m; D 0.2m) often reduced to a berm (at NW: Wth 2.2m) and replaced by a field bank SSW-W. The entrance (Wth of base 2.6m) and causeway (Wth of top 2.3m; H 0.7m) are at SE. The perimeter has been quarried NNW-NE. The rath has become largely overgrown with furze since 1968 (OSAP, 2005). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 27 July 2018

A fairy fort or earthen ringfort in Aghadreenan, likely dating to the early medieval period, is situated at the SE end of a drumlin ridge and has been recorded on maps since 1793. Local tradition associates such sites with fairy activity, and they were often avoided due to beliefs in their supernatural inhabitants.