Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in An Droim Thoir

Internal diam. 25m This is one of a pair of earthen-banked raths situated within 200m of each other on the SE facing slopes of Drom Hill (334 feet/102m), overlooking the estuary of the Glennahoo and Scorid rivers. Both the circular interior and the enclosing bank and fosse are densely overgrown and not all sections are accessible. The bank is a maximum of 1.6m high internally and rises 2.7m above the base of the fosse; it is 3.75m wide at base. For most of its circuit the inner flank of the bank is faced with drystone walling which stands to a maximum height of 1.2m. In the NW quadrant the outer flank is similarly faced. For a distance of 7m at WNW, the bank is entirely stone built but this may be due to later modification. A stone wall runs along the crest of the bank for most of its S half, but this is probably a later addition also. On the 2nd edition of the OS map the external fosse was recorded as being continuous. However, around the E half of the site, there is now only a very slight depression. To W it is .9m deep below the surrounding field and 2m wide at base. The entrance may have been in the SE quadrant as the bank exhibits no internal height in this section and elsewhere apppears to be continuous. A circular stone hut, 4.6m in internal diameter, is built against the inner stone face of the bank at WSW. Only the NW half of its wall is traceable. It stands to a maximum height of 1.4m and is slightly corbelled. The remainder of the interior of the fort is strewn with loose stone but no structures are discernible. In the SW quadrant a length of drystone masonry, extending 4m from the bank towards the centre, retains a terrace on its N side; the function of this feature is unclear. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 399. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 6 August 2013