Fairy fort / ringfort in Rathfran

In rough to average pasture, located at break of slope at top of a SE-facing slope overlooking mouth of Palmerstown River. To NW ground rises to a high ridge that dominates the skyline. This ringfort is not shown on any edition of the OS 6-inch maps. It consists of a slightly raised circular area (26.6m N-S; 27.7m) enclosed by a stony bank (Wth 3m; int H 0.5m; ext. H 0.3m at N) on W-N, reduced to a barely discernible rise at N-NE and to a scarp (H 1.1m at S) elsewhere. It is built up on the E and S to compensate for the natural slope creating a fairly level interior with only a slight slope to S-SE. As a result, the interior is almost flush with external ground level to N, but the perimeter at S has a pronounced external drop. There is a break (Wth 8m) in the bank at E. The break is flanked on the S side by a low bank which extends for 5m to SE beyond the ringfort. A field wall, bordering a trackway, on a NW-SE axis, clips NE edge of the ringfort. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 7 December 2018