Enclosure in Ballinvally Lower (arklow By., Ennereilly Ed)

Located in a gently undulating landscape (c. 84m OD) characterised by tillage and pastoral farming with farmhouse and complex of associated outbuildings located c. 95m to the W\WNW (c. 84m OD). Landscape slopes downwards gently to the E towards the Red Cross River, which is located c. 840m away to E, and upwards more abruptly to the W and NW towards a highpoint c. 900m to the WSW (highpoint c. 254m OD) with intervening sections of forest plantation. Sited c.780m m to the SSW of a ruinous church site (WI036-017001-), set within a moated site (WI036-017003-), at Chapel, and c. 760m SE of the site of a holy well (WI035-036----), indicated as St. Patrick’s Well’ on the Ordnance Survey first ed. six-inch map of 1838, at Ballinvally Upper, of which there are now no surface remains. This large enclosure is clearly visible on Google Earth aerial photograph of the site (July 2021). It consists of a subcircular feature (ext. dims c. 39.8m N-S x 43.1m E-W) that is defined by a ditch (Wth c. 1.75m to N and c. 2.57 to S) that can largely be traced along the entire circuit on the above aerial photograph apart from a section to the S. No definitive evidence for an entrance gap. There is possibly a ring-ditch (ext. dims c. 9.2m N-S x 9.1m E-W) defined by a faint ditch (Wth <1m) overlapping the ditch of the enclosure to the NW quadrant. Compiled by: T.J. O'Meara based on details provided by Jean-Charles Caillère Uploaded on: 30/06/2023