Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Ardnaglass Lower

In pasture, located on a terrace on the E bank of the Grange River, overlooking a bend in the river. There is a gently drop from the terrace for c. 10m to the river bank. The terrace continues beyond the rath to NW where it takes the form of a low linear spine of raise ground. The ground rises steeply on the opposite river bank. To E, the ground rises gently to a higher terrace and then levels out. The Dartry Mountains loom in the background to E-SE, with the dramatic profile of Ben Bulben prominent to S. Circular earthen platform defined on the S arc by a stony bank (Wth 4.5m; int. H 0.6-0.7m; ext. H 1.5m, at S), reduced on the N arc to a scarp (H 1m; Wth slope 3m, at N). The bank has a substantial external slope and a rather slumped internal rim; it is topped by a skim of sod-covered stones. At W the slope of the bank merges with the break of slope at terrace edge. Hawthorn trees grow on the S arc. The interior is grass-covered; low stones break the surface in parts. The NE quadrant is at a slightly lower level to the rest of the platform. An ENE-WSW drystone field wall (Wth 0.9m; H 0.7m) crosses the rath to S of centre. An outer stone bank, of uncertain date, arcs around the E half of the rath, with an intervening gap of c. 14-16m. It is poorly preserved on the NE arc, reduced to a low grass-covered rise with a low stone-faced scarp (H 0.55m) at N; there is a broad gap/levelled section at ENE−E. At E−S it forms a substantial sod-covered bank (Wth 2.8-3m; H 0.5m) of earth and stone, now largely obscured by hawthorn and blackthorn bushes. There is no evidence that this outer bank ever fully encircled the rath; on the contrary, it curves inwards at NE to meet the N side of the rath, and merging at SW with the natural scarp of the terrace. The outer bank, therefore, encloses a broad, roughly D-shaped annex on the E side of the rath. A portion of this space at E is subdivided by low ruined cross walls, marking the location of a children’s burial ground (SL005-040001-). There is a holy well (Sl005-039----) 35m to NNE. SL005-040001-_01.JPG viewed from SE SL005-040001-_02.JPG viewed from NW SL005-040001-_03.JPG viewed from NE SL005-040001-_04.JPG Rath bank, viewed from S SL005-040001-_05.JPG Outer stone bank, viewed from SE Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of revised upload: 5 February 2021