Linear earthwork in Tullaghbeg

Situated on an esker ridge running E-W in undulating countryside with bog on all sides. A wide flat bottomed trench (Wth 4m; L 5m approx.) which is orientated on a N-S axis and is flanked on either side by a steep sided bank (Wth 3m; int. H 9m; ext. H 3m) of earth and stone. Locally known as the 'Split Hills' because it cuts across an E-W esker ridge. According to local information the site was originally longer but was reduced in length by agricultural improvements. The site could have acted as a defensive linear earthwork belonging to a territorial boundary, this would explain why it cuts through an esker which would have acted as a natural roadway across the marshy terrain. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 May 2011