Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Lissananny Beg

In pasture, on the level top of a low hill/drumlin at a bend in the Owenmore River which loops around the E side of the hill. There are good views along the river valley, and over the surrounding undulating landscape. It is overlooked by a higher hill c. 400m to W. This rath is not shown on any edition of the OS 6-inch map, but is visible in aerial imagery. A grass-covered circular platform (31.6m N−S; 34m E−W) defined by a scarp (H 0.5-0.6m at N & S, 0.75m at E). The scarp is low for most of the circuit, with a gradual break of slope between the top and sides, suggesting that it has been partly levelled out in the past. It is more substantial on the E arc where it is enhanced by a gentle natural fall of ground. At W the scarp is slighted by a later N-S field bank/hedgerow. A band of damp ground (Wth c. 4m) immediately outside the scarp on the S arc possibly indicates a fosse but it cannot be traced elsewhere. The rath is crossed centrally on an E−W axis by a field bank (Wth 2m) with parallel field ditch (now silted up) (Wth 1.4m; D 0.2-0.3m). A few hawthorn trees grow along the line of the field bank. Attached images: SL039-169----_01.JPG Rath viewed from S SL039-169----_02.JPG Rath viewed from E Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 1 March 2023