Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Raheens

Internal diam. 20m N-S Situated in upland pasture at the S end of a spur of Caunoge mountain, this poorly preserved rath commands a broad outlook over the upper reaches of the Inny river valley. The site survives as a denuded bank of earth, stone and gravel and a slight external fosse, which is visible only in the SE sector. The bank was revetted internally with drystone facing, but almost all of this was removed in the 1950s for use in road construction (local information). The external face of the bank has also been severely disturbed. The bank survives to an average external height of 1.2m. A 1.5m wide gap at ESE may represent the original entrance. A modern field boundary overlies the bank at S. A large circular hut (KE080-028001-), marked 'Cloghaun' on the second edition of the OS map, occupies the NE quadrant of the rath. It is poorly preserved and measures 7.8m in overall diameter. The wall survives as a bank of earth and small stones which stands .4m high and averages 1.2m thick. The structure is best preserved on its N side and an entrance was located at SW (local information). The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 539. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 29 July 2013