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Rathgall Hillfort

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Bronze Age hill fort in Ireland

52°48′08″N 6°39′47″W / 52.80222°N 6.66306°W / 52.80222; -6.66306

Rathgall Hill Fort
An Ráth Gheal
Aerial view of the fort
LocationCounty Wicklow, Province of Leinster
TypeMultivallate hill fort
Width15 metres
Area7.5ha (18 acres)
History
Founded1200-900BC
PeriodsBronze Age
Site notes
Excavation dates1969
ConditionPartially preserved
OwnershipPublic
Public accessYes
National monument of Ireland
Official nameRathgall
Reference no.422

Rathgall, (Irish: An Ráth Gheal) or the Ring of the Rath is a large multivallate hill fort near the town of Shillelagh. Dating from the Bronze Age, it consists of three roughly concentric stone ramparts with a fourth masonry wall dating from the Medieval period at its centre. Rathgall is a National Monument which is in state care.

Excavations led by Barry Raftery in the 1970s the site are only partial, but yielded numerous artefacts including ceramic vessels, pot sherds and glass beads, which point to the middle to late Bronze Age activity on the site. A number of gold items have been found at the site also, as well as a burial site linked with later use of the site. Evidence of metal working comes from casts for tools and weapons, with burials pointing to a ritual element to the site beyond its agricultural and domestic use.

There are numerous legends that are associated with the site including fairies and as a site of pilgrimage for childless couples.

References

  1. "National Monuments of County Wicklow in State Care" (PDF). heritageireland.ie. National Monument Service. p. 3. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  2. "An Ráth Gheal/Rathgall". Logainm.ie. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. Dowling, Simon. "Rathgall Hillfort, Co. Wicklow". Aerial Archaeology A birds-eye view of Irish archaeology. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. ^ The Heritage Council. "Significant Unpublished Irish Archaeological Excavations 1930 - 1997". The Heritage Council. The Heritage Council. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. National Monument Service. "National Monuments in State care". National Monument Service. National Monument Service. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. Cultural Heritage Ireland. "The Late Bronze Age Hillfort at Rathgall, Co. Wicklow, near Tullow, Co. Carlow". Cultural Heritage Ireland. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  7. Raftery, Barry. "Rathgall Hillfort". Visit Wicklow. Wicklow County Tourism. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  8. Harding, Dennis (2012). Iron Age Hillforts in Britain and Beyond. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 116–117. ISBN 978-0191626104. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  9. Voices from the Dawn. "Ring of the Rath (Rathgall Hillfort)". Voices from the Dawn. Retrieved 8 November 2014.

Further reading

  • Becker, Katharina 2010. Rathgall, Co. Wicklow, Archaeology Ireland/Media House, Dublin
  • Raftery, B. 1970a The Rathgall Hillfort, Co. Wicklow, Antiquity 44. 51–54.
  • Raftery, B. 1970b A Decorated Strap-end from Rathgall, Co. Wicklow, Journal Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 100. 200–211.
  • Raftery, B. 1971 Rathgall, Co. Wicklow: 1970 excavations, Antiquity 45. 296–298.
  • Raftery, B. 1973 Rathgall: a late Bronze Age burial in Ireland, Antiquity. 47
  • Raftery, B. 1974 Rathgall, In Delaney (ed.) Excavations 1974: Summary Account of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Association of Young Irish Archaeologists, Ulster Archaeological Society and Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement. 40.
  • Raftery, B. 1975-76 Rathgall, In Delaney (ed.) Excavations 1975-76: Summary Account of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland. Association of Young Irish Archaeologists, Ulster Archaeological Society and Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement. 42.
  • Raftery, B. 1976 Rathgall and Irish Hillfort Problems, In D.W. Harding (ed.) Hillforts: Later Prehistoric Earthworks of Britain and Ireland, London: Academic Press. 339–357.
  • Raftery, B. 1981 Iron Age Burials in Ireland in D. O Corrain (ed.), Irish Antiquity, 173–204.
  • Waddell, J. 1998 The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland, Galway University Press. Galway. 270–273.
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