What is recorded here
Fairy forts are human inventions, not supernatural ones. They are ancient defensive ringforts, misnamed because people stopped understanding what they were for. The fort at Ballyspellan is a true ringfort: a circular enclosure with a bank and ditch, set on a ridge above the valley. It is not a fairy circle, and it never was.
On the W end of a slight E-W ridge on valley floor, above the flood plain, in rolling grassland. There are very good views in all directions. A circular area (int. diam. 30m) enclosed by large bank (Wth c. 2m; int. H 1m; ext. H 2.5-4m) and wide fosse (max. Wth 6m) in the N and E quadrants, but it is much degraded elsewhere. In the NW sector traces of levelled outer banks with external fosses extend up to 30m beyond the upstanding monument.
Compiled by: Jean Farrelly
Date of upload: 31 October 2017
The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.
- What survives
- Recorded monument
Places near here
Ballyspellan Housefarm house · 664 yd
Enclosure in RathoscarEnclosure · 823 yd
farm housefarm house · 1203 yd
CastleCastle, unclassified · 1304 yd
Grangefertagh Castle (site)Archaeological place · 1.2 mi
Street fieldArchaeological place · 1.6 mi
The CopseWood · 6.0 mi
Anker's IslandIsland · 8.2 mi