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Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Ardrahan (clanmaurice By., Kilmoyly Par.)

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort

What is recorded here

Lios na Cúirte, the fort of the court, still holds its shape in the corner of a sloping Kerry field. Its earthen bank rises eight metres above the depressed interior, creating a shadowed bowl where three small mounds wait like buried doors. Local tradition claims closed passages run beneath the fort, connecting those mounds in a hidden network. The size and depth suggest a place built for display, judgment, or refuge rather than ordinary living.
Internal diameter 52.4m N-S, 53.4m E-W Lisnacourty/Lios na Cúirte (fort of the court). This circular univallate rath is situated in the corner of a large pastoral field which is gently sloping S. The enclosing well-defined earthen bank rises to a maximum of 3.2m above the external ground level. The interior is at a much lower level than the surrounding ground, and the enclosing bank rises to 6m-8m above the interior. There are three small mounds (KE021-014001-) in the interior, in the NE, SE and W sectors. According to local tradition Man-made underground passages run beneath this fort but have been closed up. These mounds may be connected to the Man-made underground passages. The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 714. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 2 August 2013

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What survives
Recorded monument

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