What is recorded here

Fairy forts are human ringforts misnamed by folklore. Rathstephen is a true circular rath: a raised grass platform about fifty-six metres across, bounded by earthen banks, a wide shallow fosse, and an outer bank that still touches a living field edge. The southeast entrance survives as a narrow gap and causeway, though the outer bank has been damaged there. It stands on a rise where a household could have watched the land, resisted raiders, and disappeared into grass and legend.

Located on a rise in an undulating landscape. This is a raised and circular grass-covered area (diam. 56m E-W; 54.5m N-S) defined by an earthen bank (at N: Wth of base 6m; int. H 0.5m; ext. H 3.5m) at N but it is largely reduced to an overgrown scarp (at S: Wth 6.5m; H 3.5m), with an outer stone facing SE-SW. The bank is separated by a rounded fosse (Wth of top 11-12m; ext. D 2-2.6m) from an outer overgrown earthen bank (Wth of base 8-9m; ext. H 0.8-1m), which is incorporated into a field bank ESE-WSW (max. ext. diam. 86.5m N-S). The entrance through the inner bank (Wth of base 2.4m) and a causeway (Wth of top 2.3m; H 0.6m) are at SE but the outer bank has been disturbed in this area. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revision: 5 September 2018

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