What is recorded here

Marianne and her daughter faced the Lissaniska fort on a bright spring morning. They had driven from Dublin for the day, eager to see the old earthworks before returning home. The fort stood on its ridge above Kenmare Bay, its broken bank and shallow ditch still visible through the overgrowth. They walked the outside edge, compared its shape with their photographs, and sat beside the entrance to eat bread and cheese. When they left, they did not pretend the fort was fully understood. They remembered it as a place where human hands had shaped the land, and where the bay still gave back light at the end of the valley.

On the crest of a ridge, overlooking Kenmare Bay to the S. A raised circular area (28m N-S; 27m E-W) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 7.7m; int. H 1.3m; ext. H 2.5m) with several gaps. A fosse (D 1.3m) is evident NW-S. There is a probable entrance at S. Traces of cultivation ridges are evident in the interior. The interior and the bank are covered with overgrowth. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 May 2011

A fairy fort or earthen ringfort in Lissaniska, likely dating to the early medieval period, is situated on a ridge overlooking Kenmare Bay. It is associated with local folklore surrounding fairies and other supernatural beings, common in Irish tradition for such sites.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.