What is recorded here

No human has touched the fairy fort in Raheennamadra for centuries, yet it still stands as a raised circular platform on Knockaunatarriff. The earthwork stretches thirty metres across and keeps its shallow fosse intact, while two mounds and a standing stone watch from nearby. It is not a human home or a forgotten farm, but a boundary marker left behind when the region changed hands. The fort does not need explanation because it still performs its function: separating the ordinary land from the territory where human rules stop applying.

In pasture on the summit of Knockaunatarriff (444 ft. OD), 15m E of townland boundary with Mitchelstowndown North. Two mounds (LI041-013002/003-) lie 17m to the SW and a standing stone (LI041-013009-) lies 125m to the NE. Depicted on the 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map as a raised oval-shaped platform defined by a scarp. Shown on the 1897 ed. OSi 25-inch map a raised roughly D-shaped platform (dims. c. 26m N-S; 29m E-W) defined by a scarp and enclosed by a fosse from SE-S-W-NW. Earthwork described by Westropp (1917-19, 174) as ‘a small round platform fort, 60 [18m] to 61ft. [18.5m] across, and 5ft. [1.5m] high. Trace of a fosse 12ft. [3.6m] wide gird it to the S. W. and N. There is a trace of an outer ring to the SE.’ In 1960 a survey by Stenberger (1966, 38) listed this earthwork as ‘Site II’ which consisted of a ‘circular platform with a diameter of about 30m and is bordered by a fosse not quite 1m deep.’ Monument visible as a raised circular-shaped area with enclosing fosse from SE-S-W-N-NE on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13 and on Google Earth orthoimages. The Google Earth orthoimage dated 18/11/2018 shows linear cropmarks running NE-SW which intersect the monument at SE and NE with rectangular earthworks to the N, these may form part of a field system (LI041-013018-). See attached contour plan of enclosure taken from Stenberger (1966) and Google Earth orthoimages. Compiled by: Fiona Rooney Date of upload: 28 July 2021 See attached ASI aerial photographs ASIAP – 318/16 taken on 05/10/2002. 343/20 and 21 on 05/01/2003.

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