What is recorded here

An Ráth Rua, the russet ringfort, still circles Rathroe with a thirty-two-metre diameter, its red clay bank rising two metres above the boggy ground. Three shallow gaps break the earthen wall to the north, east and southeast, inviting entry into a space where local memory separates human labour from fairy trickery. The red soil may have built sturdy bricks or merely marked a boundary the fairies refused to share.

Internal diameter 32m Rathroe/An Ráth Rua (the russet ringfort). Situated in low-lying boggy land, immediately NW lies a possible unmarked enclosure (KE004-056----). This circular univallate rath is enclosed by an earthen bank that is much levelled in places. It measures 2.1m externally and 1.7m internally in height and the width of the bank at the base is 5m. Three gaps to the N, E and SE, measuring 5m, 3m and 3m, provide access to the interior. It is believed locally that this ringfort got its name from the local red clay in the area; red bricks were made locally from this material. The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 246. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 2 August 2013

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