Fairy fort or earthen ringfort in Ballyheeragh, County Mayo

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What is recorded here

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In pasture, on elevated ground with a fall to W towards a stream. Excellent views in all directions. Raised broadly oval area (43.5m E−W; 37.6m N−S) defined by an earth and stone bank (Wth 3m; int. H 0.4-0.7m; ext. H 1-1.4m), outside which at SE−W there is a fosse (Wth 2.4m; D 0.6m). The inner bank has a well defined external slope, but is low and slumped internally. Stones protrude around its circuit, with possible remnants of internal and external stone facing at W and NW. The fosse is evident as a shallow depression on the S arc and petering out to a broad terrace at W. At S the fosse cuts through a low natural rise in ground level, topped with a slight E-W linear bank. This may be a remnant of an external bank or it may simply be a later field bank. The interior is fairly level, with an uneven surface. It is subdivided by a low bank (Wth 1.9m; H 0.2m) curving in a shallow arc across the W half of the interior. Another internal division in the form of a low E-facing scarp extends from the rath bank at S for 11m to NNW petering out 4m short of an intersection with the internal division described above. According to local tradition, the interior was used as a children’s burial ground (MA119-048001-).

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record MA119-048

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Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, en.wikipedia.org
Maker not stated on source page, www.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.irelandhighlights.com
Mike Searle, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Kmcnamee, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Willow, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5
Maker not stated on source page, www.dreamstime.com

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