Rath Turtle Moat
Rath Turtle Moat is a ringwork and National Monument located in County Wicklow, Ireland.[1][2]
Ráth Torcaill | |
 | |
 .svg.png.webp){kind=icon} Shown within Ireland | |
| Alternative name | Rathturtle Moat |
|---|---|
| Location | Glen Ding, Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Region | Wicklow Mountains |
| Coordinates | 53°10′46″N 6°33′28″W |
| Altitude | 286 m (938 ft) |
| Type | ringwork |
| Length | 49 m (161 ft) |
| Width | 36 m (118 ft) |
| Area | 0.55 ha (1.4 acres) |
| History | |
| Builder | Anglo-Normans |
| Material | earth |
| Founded | 12th century AD |
| Cultures | Anglo-Norman |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | private |
| Official name | Rathturtle |
| Reference no. | 662 |
Location
Rath Turtle Moat is located in Glen Ding Wood, 1.6 km (0.99 mi) northwest of Blessington, overlooking the River Liffey reservoir and near the source of the Morell River.[3]
History
The site is believed to derive its name from the Meic Torcaill, a leading Norse-Gaelic family in 12th-century Dublin.[4] The same name is found in that of the townland of Curtlestown (Irish: Baile mhic Torcaill), located west of Powerscourt.[5] The site later came under Norman control. Ringworks like that at Rath Turtle were built during the earliest phase of the Norman conquest of Ireland. They usually had a wooden gate tower, with a stone-lined causewayed entrance and stone-lined banks topped by a wooden palisade.[6]
Description
The ringwork is ovoid and consists of a raised central area enclosed by a high earthen bank, an external fosse and an external bank. The entrance is to the south has a causeway across the ditch.
References
- "Dáil Éireann - 14/May/2003 Written Answers. - Archaeological Sites". Houses of the Oireachtas. 14 May 2003. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- CHI. "The Rath Turtle Ringwork near Blessington, Co. Wicklow".
- "Rath Turtle Moat". Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- Byrne, F. J. (1999:293). Seanchas: Studies in Early and Medieval Irish Archaeology, History and Literature in Honour of Francis J. Byrne. Ireland: Four Courts Press.
- Smyth, A. P. (1982:44). Celtic Leinster: towards an historical geography of early Irish civilization, A.D. 500-1600. Ireland: Irish Academic Press.
- "Co. Kildare Online Electronic History Journal: PLAYING CUPID AMONG THE KILDARE HILLS".