What is recorded here

Fairy forts in Ireland are often ringforts misnamed by later folklore, and Skahard is no exception: a true rath, circular and deliberate, set on open hill pasture where sight and defence met. Its two banks and broken ditch still mark a small enclosed world, perhaps a farmhouse, workshop or seasonal stronghold, though cattle have since rubbed much of its edge into grass. The fairies belong to the legend layered on top, not the shape beneath.

Situated on top of a hill in well-drained, rolling pasture with good views in all directions. The monument is evident as a roughly circular area (diam. 26m E-W) enclosed by two concentric banks. The internal bank (int. H 0.1-0.7m; Wth 1-1.2m; ext. H 1.25-1.4m) is constructed of earth-and-stone and is quite heavily eroded by vegetation and by poaching from cattle. The intervening fosse (Wth 1.3-1.7m; D 0.5m) is evident from E to S, and SW to NW. The external bank (int. H 0.3m; Wth 2.4m; ext H 0.2m) is evident in the S and SW. The interior is uneven and poached by cattle and slopes gently down to SE. Compiled by: Denis Power Date of upload: 24 June 2013

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