Enclosure in Rathmoney

In pasture, located on the gentle S-facing slope of an E-W ridge, bordering the N side of a small, shallow valley. Two raths are located immediately upslope, crowning the top of the ridge, one (MA021-074----) 25m to N, and the other (SL021-075----) 40m to NNE. A third rath (SL021-076----) is located 90m to SSE on top of the low ridge which defines the S side of the valley. An E−W drain cuts through the wet, rushy ground in the base of the valley. This enclosure is not indicated on the 1836 and 1913 OS 6-inch maps. It is visible on current aerial mapping. It consists of a circular area (30m E−W; 28m N−S) defined by a levelled bank. At ground level the bank can be traced as a barely discernible, broad low undulation (Wth 3.4-4m). It is almost entirely obliterated at E. Outside the bank on the W−N there is a hint of a depression/cropmark (Wth c. 3m), marked by soft, poached ground and a growth of yellower grass; this may indicate an enclosing fosse. The interior is not raised relative to exterior ground level; it mirrors the natural contours of the ridge slope, exhibiting a gentle slope down from N to centre, where it levels out. Although located in close proximity to three raths, this enclosure differs from them in its siting and morphology: it is located on the slope rather than on top of the ridge, and its interior is not raised relative to exterior ground level. It may be a rath or it may be an enclosure dating to an earlier period. Attached images: SL021-215---_01.JPG -viewed from E SL021-215---_01.JPG -viewed from S, with two raths (SL021-074----; SL021-075----) on crest of ridge in background. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 16 November 2018