Crockbullock — Townplots West

In an expanse of rolling average pasture, located on a low rise at the base of the NW side of a hillock, on top of which 50m to SW there is a mound (MA022-010----). The townland boundary cuts across the hillock on a NNE−SSW axis. The location is sheltered at SE-SW by an arc of gently rising ground. There are open views at W-NE. This rath is named ‘Crockbullock’ on the 1838 OS 6-inch map, and ‘Crockbulloge’ on the 1929 edition. It consists of a raised oval area (29.4m N-S; 34.7m E-W) defined by in at E and SW-S by an earthen bank (at E: Wth 4.7m; int. H 0.7m; ext. H 1.4m), reduced elsewhere to a scarp (ext. H 2.2m at W). Stones protrude from the top and sides of the bank. At NNE-NE a section (L c. 12m) of the scarp has been levelled to a broad low slope. A fosse (Wth 2.5-3m) with an external bank (Wth 3-4m; int. H 0.7m) is evident outside the bank/scarp at W-NNE; both are relatively well defined at WNW-NNW, but at NNW-NNE the fosse can be traced only as a band of rushes and the outer bank as a slight rise. A quarry pit (diam. c. 8m) truncated the external face of the outer bank at W. The rath interior has a somewhat bowl-shaped profile, rising from a central dip toward the bank at E and W. The entrance gap (Wth 2m) is at the SE. Four grass-covered mounds (diam. c. 2m; H c. 0.45m) are located in the E half of the interior, most likely the result of field clearance. In the SE quadrant, adjacent to the entrance, is a possible subrectangular house (MA022-009001-), which abuts the inner face of the ringfort bank. Grass cover, with hawthorn and blackthorn growing on outer bank at NW. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 23 April 2019