Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Tyrrellstown

Situated on a slight rise, in pasture, overlooked by higher ground to NE and with a narrow view of Lough Ennell to W. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork. Monument described in 1971 as a subcircular-shaped area (dims. 38.6m E-W; 37.2m N-S) enclosed by a bank and external fosse. The bank is steep on the exterior and is best preserved from N-E and is almost reduced to a scarp from E-S-W-N. The interior of the bank is defined by four large stones which are slightly spaced apart at NE and may have formed a facing. There are traces of a very slight fosse and a portion of earth and stone field boundary crosses it at S. The original entrance is not visible. The interior has a slight ENE-facing slope with traces of cultivation ridges running ENE-WSW and several naturally formed humps and hollows in the centre. A low scarp (L 8.2m; H 0.5m) with a facing of large stones curves to S and SSW of the centre and is of unknown significance. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 04 November 2019