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Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Gortavehy East

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort

What is recorded here

An earthen ringfort, 27.7m across with a stone-faced bank and external fosse, sits in pasture on an NE-facing slope in Gortavehy East, its wide SSW entrance still marked by dumped stones from old fence clearance. A second ringfort lies a hundred metres north, suggesting a small cluster of occupied or defended land rather than a lone outpost. The name “fairy fort” may reflect local story more than fact, yet the preserved shape and nearby companion imply people lived, worked or kept animals here long before the field was fenced.
In pasture, on NE-facing slope. Roughly circular area (27.7m N-S; 24.3m E-W) enclosed by earthen bank (H 1.25m), stone-faced externally SSW->N; external fosse (max. D 1m). Entrance (Wth 4.1m) to SSW; stone-faced on E side. Stone dumped in fosse to E and SSW, due to field fence clearance. Ringfort (8331) lies c. 100m to N. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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What survives
Recorded monument

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