Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Ballyledder

Internal diam. 27.2m N-S, 23.7m E-W This site is depicted on the second edition of the OS map as a curving bank bounded by modern field boundaries at S and W, and is probably the Lisspaderrickeecusaune (Lios Phádraig Ui Chiosáin) noted in the OSNB (Knockane, 10). It is located on a natural rise just N of the lower slopes of Knockbrack mountain, a short distance S of the Finglas river. The field boundaries have obliterated the enclosing element at S and W, and the surviving earthen bank is best preserved at NE, where it stands 2.8m in external height and falls 1.5m to the interior. It is 4.1m wide here, and elsewhere it averages 2.4m in external height and 3.6m in basal width. An entrance gap, 2.7m wide, is located at E. A concentric band of dark grass outside the bank, 2.3m in average width, may mark the location of an infilled fosse. Old cultivation ridges occupy the interior of the fort, where, near the gap at E, a grass-covered stony mound occurs which may represent modern field clearance. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 460. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013

A fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Ballyledder is an early-medieval ringfort, likely dating to between the 5th and 10th centuries, with possible origins as a defensive or agricultural settlement. The name "Lios Phádraig" (meaning "Patrick's grove" or "ringfort") suggests a possible Christian association, though it is also linked to local folklore surrounding fairies and otherworldly beings.