Indicated — Lisroyne

Marked as a oval enclosure (dims c. 30m N-S; c. 20m E-W) on the 1837 ed. and as a circular embanked enclosure on the 1914 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. It is situated on a NW-facing slope overlooking Lough Lea c. 200m to the NW. It was described in 1996 (SMR file) as a circular, slightly sunken grass-covered area (diam. 22m N-S; 21m E-W), which slopes down to the N (H of slope c. 2m), defined by an earthen bank (Wth 6m; int. H 0.2-0.7m; ext. H 0.3-0.4m) which is reduced to a scarp down to the interior (H 0.2m) SW-NW. A N-S field bank which bisected the interior on 1837 and 1914 eds of the OS 6-inch map had been removed. The profile of the monument had disappeared by 2006 when a proposal by the GAA to develop the area as a sports pitch required a geophysical survey (09R170) which identified an anomaly at the location. This feature was the fosse of the rath and the site was excavated (10E0328) by Derek Gallagher (Ó Séaghdha 2010; Gallagher 2013). It proved to be a complex area as the rath has an annexe (RO023-165001-) attached to the NE which surrounds a fulacht fia (RO023-165002-) and a well (RO023-165003-). As excavated the rath appeared as a subcircular area (int. dims 31m N-S; 28m E-W) defined by a V-sectioned fosse (Wth 2.8m; D 1.1m). There may have been an entrance at SW, which is obscured by a re-cut of the fosse that produced post-medieval and modern pottery, the skull of an infant and some adult bones. No internal features survived apart from evidence of the N-S field bank, some post-holes and the bases of pits that may be post-abandonment, including a large pit (dims 7.1m E-W; 2.1m N-S; D 0.8m) with animal bones. An undecorated copper-alloy strap-tag was recovered from the topsoil, and a possible iron ring-headed pin was in a secondary fill of the fosse of the annexe. A charcoal sample from the bottom of the rath ditch produced a C14 date of cal. AD 688-885 (Bermingham, and Ó Séaghdha 2012, 8). The amount of animal bone recovered was comparatively small but as might be expected it was dominated in terms of the animals represented by cattle (5), pig (1) sheep/goat (1), horse (1) and red deer (1) (ibid. 14). The annexe (RO023-165001-) is a D-shaped area (dims 27m NW-SE; 16-24m NE-SW) defined by a fosse (Wth 2.6-3.2m; D c. 1m) that was water-logged in places, especially at the N. It post-dated the fosse of the rath and surrounded the remains of a fulacht fia (RO023-165002-) and a well (RO023-165003-). The burnt mound was an irregular shape (diam. c. 9m; T 0.3m) and overlay four pits and a subrectangular trough (dims 2.2m x 1.9m; D 0.25m) which had post-holes at the rounded corners. There were over 50 stake-holes, about half of which were in a re-cut on the E side of the trough. A sample from a post-hole produced a calibrated C14 date of 1259-1002 cal. BC (ibid. 5). The burnt mound material also overlay a well (RO023-165003-) at its W edge and c. 4m W of the trough. The well is in unrelated to the fulacht fia and was funnel-shaped at the top (dims 2.4m E-W; 2m N-S) leading to a subcircular shaft (diam. of base 0.66m; total D 1.6m). The well was unlined and fragments of a wooden bowl were found at the water-logged base, where two posts stood upright, probably to support a superstructure for the well. The bowl produced a C14 date of cal. AD 403-544. (ibid. 10) Crannog (RO023-208----) is c. 105m to the NW, crannog (RO023-189----) is c. 200m to the W, and rath (RO023-166----) is c. 160m to the NE. Archaeological testing (06E1230) c. 100m to the E during 2006 failed to produce any related material (Cagney 2010). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 20 July 2018