What is recorded here

Fairy forts are human made. That is the shape of the truth. People built ringforts, lived in them, left them, and stopped explaining them. The fairies entered later because they are good at moving into empty rooms and refusing to leave. Patrickstown may have been a small home, a boundary marker, or a forgotten farm. The slope, bank and gap still exist. The story about fairies is the interesting part because it shows what people do when they lose the first meaning of a place. They invent a second one.

Located towards the top of the steep N-facing slope of Patrickstown Hill. This is a D-shaped area (dims 26m E-W; 25m E-W) that remains unplanted in a forest and slopes down to the N. The perimeter is defined by an earth and stone bank (Wth of base 3-4m; int. H 0.2m at N (downslope) to 0.8-0.9m normally; ext. H 1.2-1.5m). There is a drain (Wth of base 1m; ext. D 0.4m) outside the straight W side, which has probably been straightened. There are entrance gaps at ENE and SSW but the original entrance is not identified. There is an internal E-W scarp down to the N (Wth 0.8m; H 0.6m) N of the centre. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 1 November 2018

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