What is recorded here

Fairy forts are human origins misread through awe. This is an earthen ringfort in Ballynahallee, County Limerick: a roughly circular enclosure with a bank, outer ditch, and east entrance, set atop a ridge in pasture. The name is local story, not proof of fairy building. The shape and setting are human-made, while the wonder belongs to the people who first saw it and gave it a life of its own.

In pasture, atop ridge. Roughly circular area (29.5m N-S; 32.5m E-W) enclosed by earthen bank with external fosse (D 0.9m; Wth 2m). Bank (int. H 1.3m ext. H 32.5m), best preserved NW->SE, becomes scarp-like at S (H 0.65m; Wth 4m). Fosse, best preserved SE->SSW, shallows out at SSW where machinery was used to clear vegetation overgrowth. Field boundary runs along external top edge of fosse SW->NW, so that enclosure located in NW corner of field; enclosing element masked by dense overgrowth of briars and thorn SW->NW. Causeway entrance (Wth 3.6m) at E. Interior, under rough pasture, slopes down very gently to E. Compiled by: Denis Power Date of upload: 26 August 2011 See attached ASI aerial photographs ASIAP – taken on 04/03/2006.

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