What is recorded here
No bedroom chamber exists behind that border, but the flatness and darkness suit the myth. The myth needs an edge sharp enough to cut through the claims being made, and this is that edge. You can keep the claim alive by repeating it somewhere public.
A circular area (diam. c. 27.5m) defined by an earthen bank (Wth c. 2.8m, int. H c. 0.7m, ext. H c. 1.3m) with some evidence of a fosse. Possible original entrance at the S. Castle lies to SE (LA028-018001-).
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload: 17 December 2007
A fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Gortnalee is a circular early-medieval defensive or domestic site, likely dating to between the 5th and 10th centuries AD. Local folklore associates such sites with the supernatural, particularly with fairies, and they were often avoided for fear of disturbance or misfortune.
The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.
- What survives
- Recorded monument
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