Outlined — Ballinaspick or Bishopstown

Situated on top of a naturally formed hillock, on a gravel ridge running NW-SE, in pasture, with good views across a valley of flat boggy land to NE, E and SE. Annotated ‘Fort’ on the 1837 OS Fair Plan map and depicted as an oval-shaped enclosure. Shown on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly circular-shaped earthwork which appears to be concentric with the 400ft contour indicated on the 1876 ed. OS 6-inch map. Bivallate enclosure described in 1983 as a roughly circular-shaped area (diam. 31m) defined by an inner bank, an intervening fosse and an outer bank. The inner bank (max. Wth 2m) is best preserved from WSW-W-WNW where it rises (approx. H 2m) above the fosse. The outer bank and fosse are present from S-SW-W and are best preserved from WSW-W-WNW. Faint traces of the fosse are visible at N and from ENE-E-SE-SSE, although there is no trace of the outer bank elsewhere. The interior of the site rises sharply from the perimeter toward the centre and is dome-shaped. There has been some slippage of this mound-like interior in the E and SE quadrants. A modern stone built field fence runs NE-SW adjacent to NW. The monument is covered by a tree plantation and undergrowth, which extends uphill beyond the monument to NW. Monument is visible today as a roughly circular-shaped tree-planted earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 November 2019