What is recorded here

No visible fort remains in Ceathrú An Teampaill, only a hidden curve inside a garden wall. That much is clear. The interesting part is what the wall absorbed: a ring of earth and stone, large enough to hold a household, reduced to a boundary line. People lived there, shaped it, forgot it, then built upon it. The fort did not disappear so much as it stopped being separate from the place around it.

This ringfort was described in the OSNB (Marhin, 18) as circular with a 'ruined old fence about it composed of stones and earth'. It was about 1.5 chains (30.17m) in diameter. The depiction on the 2nd edition of the OS map shows that the S half had been removed and replaced by a field wall which preserved the curved outline of the enclosure. The entire site has now been levelled and some of the material is probably incorporated into the earthen bank which forms the boundary of a garden directly adjacent to the ringfort. It was situated at the foot of the E slopes of Croaghmarhin, on the broad, low-lying crescent of land that surrounds Smerwick Harbour. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 599. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013

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