What is recorded here

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Ardleebeg is a fairy fort or earthen ringfort in Ardleebeg, County Sligo, Ireland. It occupies rough grazing on a south-facing ridge where the ground drops sharply below the circular area. The site contains a raised interior about thirty metres across, bounded partly by a two-metre scarp and partly by remaining earthen banks. A shallow depression marked by rushes curves around the west and north-east, while field boundaries and a road lie immediately beside the structure.

In rough grazing, on the S-facing slope of a ridge; the ground drops sharply S of the rath. A raised circular area (int. diam. c. 30m) defined by a scarp (H 2m) E-W and by the remains of an earthen bank (Wth 5m; int. H 0.8m; ext. H 1.3m) elsewhere. Only a slight internal lip is visible NE-E. The fosse is evident W-NE as a shallow depression (Wth 2.5m; D c. 0.6m) marked by a growth of rushes. The interior generally slopes down to S but levels off at S where the remains of a hut site (SL027-026002-) are located. In the W half of the interior, 6m NW of the hut site, is an irregular setting of four stones (largest stone: L 1.1m; Wth 0.8m; H 0.3m) (SL027-026003-) roughly enclosing an area of 1m x 0.7m and a line of partially sod-covered stones extending 3m to S. Field boundaries lie immediately to the E and W of the rath, that at the E possibly truncates the fosse NE-E. Another field boundary and a road are immediately to S. This was recorded as 'Ardleebeg Fort' in 1836 (OSNB vol. 1, 156). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008

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