Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Davidstown

Levelled ringfort situated on E facing slope of a slight rise, in gently undulating land with good views in all directions. A ringfort (WM018-008----) lies c. 110m to NW and a second ringfort (WM018-010----) c. 115m to SE. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork with a quarried depression adjoining to SSW. Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a circular-shaped earthwork (approx. diam. 35m) which is bisected by a field boundary running NW-SE and having a spot height [355 ft. OD] within the SW quadrant and a limekiln outside immediately to WSW. Upstanding monument described in 1970 as a roughly circular-shaped area (approx. diam. 26m) enclosed by a poorly preserved earthen bank with traces of an outer fosse. The bank is best preserved from N-E and from SW-W-WNW, being reduced to a scarp (H 1.1m) elsewhere. The slight fosse is visible from NNE-E. A broad causeway (Wth 6.1m; H 0.5m) is present across the fosse at ENE, although there is no corresponding entrance in the bank. A disturbance gap (Wth at top 4.1m; Wth at base 1.2m) is visible at W. The interior has a gentle E-facing slope with traces of cultivation ridges running NW-SE. There is no surface evidence of the field fence which is depicted as bisecting the site on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map or the current ed. OS 6-inch map. The monument was levelled between 1970 and 1974 when it was described in this year as having been recently levelled. According to local information, a skeleton in ‘a sitting position’ was unearthed during the land reclamation works. There are no surface remains visible of the levelled ringfort in this ploughed field. Outline of levelled monument is visible as an oval-shaped cropmark on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by: Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 11 January 2019