What is recorded here

Fairy forts are not fairy forts at all. They are human ringforts, misnamed because people stopped remembering the hands that built them. Glannahary is one of those forgotten hands made visible: a circular earthwork with a bank and ditch, large enough to hold a small settlement and strange enough to invite invention. The fairies entered later, filling the gap left by human silence.

The following description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Carlow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 17 July 2007 Marked on 1908 'OS 6-inch' map (max. diam. c. 60m). Consists of raised circular area enclosed by bank with external fosse.

A fairy fort or earthen ringfort in Glannahary is a circular earthen enclosure typical of early-medieval agricultural settlements in Ireland, likely dating to between the 5th and 10th centuries AD. Local tradition associates such sites with fairy folk, and they were often avoided for fear of disturbing supernatural inhabitants.

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