What is recorded here

Fairy forts are human ringforts misnamed by later folklore, and Ballinrink is no exception. Its wide earth bank once enclosed a small living place on the ridge, perhaps a farmhouse, workshop or seasonal camp. The field cut through it and memory shortened it into a fairy tale, but the shape still belongs to the people who dug it.

Located on a rise towards the S end of a small N-S ridge. A circular embanked enclosure (ext. diam. c. 40-45m) with a wide bank is depicted only on the 1836 edition of the OS 6-inch map where it is described in gothic lettering as a ‘Fort’. The location is now divided by a NNE-SSW field bank but traces of a grass-covered enclosure could still be extant. Archaeological testing (10E0384) c. 170m to the E produced no related material (excavations.ie 2010:512). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 31 October 2018

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