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Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Ballymacroly

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort

What is recorded here

Fairy fort in Ballymacroly, County Longford, is a 40.5-metre earthen ring on a terrace above a stream. Its low bank, shallow fosse and outer ridge still mark the southern and eastern edge, while ploughing has softened the rest. The entrance faced east, suggesting a place made for entry, not hiding. It may have been a farmstead, a refuge or a boundary marker, but the earth has kept its shape long after the hands that shaped it disappeared.
On a terrace above a stream to its N and E. A raised subcircular area (40.5m E–W; 37.7m N–S) enclosed from SE–S–N by a low bank of earth and stone (Wth 4.8-5.8m; H 0.3-0.5m) and elsewhere defined by a scarp (H 1.8-2m). A shallow intervening fosse (Wth 6.3-7.4m; D 0.7-0.8m) and an outer bank (Wth 5.4-5.8m; H 1-1.4m) survive from ESE–S–NW. Elsewhere they have been levelled but the outline of the fosse may still be traced. A report in 1975 (SMR file) recorded that the original entrance was at E. Compiled by: Patrick F. O'Donovan Date of upload: 23 November 2011

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

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