Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in An Baile Dubh

Internal diam. 23m. A bivallate rath with traces of 2 hut sites in the interior. It is situated on an E facing slope overlooking the valley of the Glennahoo river and also commands good open views N and NE towards Brandon Bay. The NE and E sectors of the enclosure have been levelled and are partly obscured by loose stones and by a disused field fence. Elsewhere the interior is surrounded by an earthen bank and fosse with slight traces of a 2nd outer bank. The inner bank is a maximum of .3m high internally and ranges from 1 to 2m in height above the base of the fosse. The latter is 3.4m wide. The outer bank is present to NW only. It is c. 0.5m high externally and falls .45m to the base of the fosse which is at its shallowest in this sector. The outer face of the inner bank is revetted with drystone masonry for a length of at least 15m at S. The facing survives to a height of .6m and is not evident elsewhere along the banks. In the NW sector of the interior are the very disturbed remains of what appear to be 2 conjoined huts. They are represented by a roughly circular (N hut) and a rectangular (S hut) depression, .8m deep. The former measures 4.6m x 3.9m internally and the latter a maximum of 4.6m internally. A possible entrance between the 2 huts measures .9m in width. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 320. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 6 August 2013

A bivallate earthen ringfort in An Baile Dubh, likely dating to the early medieval period, featuring an internal diameter of 23m and two hut sites. Positioned on an east-facing slope, it offers strategic views over the Glennahoo river valley and north-east towards Brando, and like many such sites, may be associated with local folklore surrounding fairy activity or ancient habitation.