What is recorded here

Indicated is a ruined fairy fort in County Cork where a living stream still cuts through the southeast bank and forgotten farm buildings occupy the centre. Barry recorded three ramparts in 1890, but Donovan erased parts of two of them about twenty years earlier, leaving a wide scar in the earth. The remaining stone-faced bank, internal ditch, raised ground and hidden north-west passage suggest a place both built and broken, perhaps more than once.

In disused farm yard. According to Barry (1890, 517) 'the rath at Ballyknock was of large dimensions, and had three encircling ramparts'. Remains consist of subcircular area (diam. c. 45m) enclosed by stone-faced earthen bank (int. H 1.7m) from E->NNW with internal fosse from SW->NNW. Interior slightly raised; overgrown; has many felled trees. Stream flows inside bank in SE quadrant. Disused farm buildings and stone walls in N side of interior. Barry states that in 1890 'one-fourth of the middle rampart and nearly all the inner fosse remain' while 'another fourth of the middle rampart and a remnant of the outer rampart were erased by the late Mr. Donovan about twenty years ago'. Man-made underground passage (CO055-007003-) in NW quadrant; site of castle (CO055-007004-) in interior. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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