What is recorded here

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Rathnacarton: a 42 m circular rath on an east-facing slope in County Cork, its earthen bank still standing 1.6 to 1.75 m high and partly absorbed into the field fence. The interior was raised on the east side to level the ground against the hillslope, a practical touch that suggests people lived there rather than merely marking a boundary. In a region where fairies are said to keep forts of their own, the name may be less joke than warning: some circles belong to people, others to the old residents who never left.

In tillage, on E-facing slope. Circular area (42m N-S; 42m E-W) enclosed by earthen bank (int. H 1.6m; ext. H 1.75m) WSW->N, with external fosse (D 0.65m); scarp (H 0.9m) elsewhere with slight internal lip. Bank incorporated into field fence system. Interior raised on E side to compensate for hillslope. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). 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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