Knockalish Fort

On a hilltop in boggy uncleared pasture with panoramic views. Several nearby field boundaries have been removed and some fields show traces of former cultivation. Hachured and named ‘Knockalish Fort’ on the 1840 and 1916 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. Listed as ringfort in the RMP (1996). A subcircular grassed-over earthen rath (int. dims. 43.9m E-W; 42m N-S) defined by a round-topped steep-sided bank (Wth 4.9-6m; int. H 0.2-0.3m; ext. H 1.2-1.6m) at W, NW, E and SE. Elsewhere the bank has been reduced to a scarp (H 1.6-1.7m). A field boundary, running N-S, overlies its E limits. A shallow external depression (Wth 8m), concentric with the bank at W and N, may be the remains of a fosse. A number of cattle gaps cut through the bank but a wide gap (Wth 8.5m) at E may be the remains of the original entrance gap. The interior is waterlogged and is highest towards the centre. On inspection the sod cover had been removed from the outer face of the bank at W. (Westropp 1913, 260) Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Lynda McCormack Date of upload: 12 April 2022