What is recorded here

The fairy fort or earthen ringfort in Shancough (leyny By.) is in County Sligo, Ireland. It holds a roughly circular raised area measuring 26.3 metres north-south and 30.3 metres east-west. Two earth and stone banks frame an intervening ditch, with the inner bank reaching 2.45 metres high on its outer face. A boulder-lined entrance sits at the east, while the outer bank remains visible from southwest to east before levelling elsewhere.

In undulating pasture, straddling a break of slope at the E end of a ridge. A roughly circular raised area (26.3m N-S; 30.3m E-W) defined by two earth and stone banks and an intervening fosse. The inner bank (Wth 5.4m; int. H 0.85m; ext. H 2.45m) is evident all round with traces of possible internal stone revetment. The entrance (Wth 1.1m) is at E and is lined with boulders. Some large boulders at the base of the external face of the inner bank are possibly from field clearance. The outer bank (Wth 5m; int. H 1.9m; ext. H 1.2m) is evident SW-E, though almost levelled NNW-E, and levelled SE-SW. The intervening fosse (Wth 3.5m) is evident SW-NE with a terrace (Wth 2.5m) SE-SW from which the ground slopes away naturally. The interior slopes gently down to E. There is a Man-made underground passage (SL025-040002-) in the NW quadrant, a hut site (SL025-040003-) in the NE quadrant and a roughly circular slightly sunken area (c. 10m E-W) in the centre of the S half. Remains of a N-S field boundary are adjacent to the outer bank at W. There are small quarry pits close by to SW and SE. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008

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