Rath Turtle Moat is a

ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the site. ...

and

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

located in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Location

Rath Turtle Moat is located in Glen Ding Wood, northwest of

Blessington Blessington, historically known as Ballycomeen (, from the Irish surname ''Ó Coimín''), is a town on the River Liffey in County Wicklow, Ireland, near the border with County Kildare. It is around 25 km south-west of Dublin, and is situ ...

, overlooking the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River ...

reservoir and near the source of the

Morell River The Morell River () is a river in County Kildare, Ireland, a tributary of the River Liffey. Name The name of the river derives from William Morrell, formerly a landowner in the area. It first appears (spelled ''Morrel'') in the ''Statistical S ...

History

The site is believed to derive its name from the

Meic Torcaill The Meic Torcaill, also known as the Meic Turcaill, the Mac Torcaill dynasty, the Mac Turcaill dynasty, and the Mac Turcaill family, were a leading Norse-Gaelic family in mediaeval Dublin. The kindred produced several eminent men and kings of Dub ...

, a leading Norse-Gaelic family in 12th-century Dublin. The site later came under Norman control.

Ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the site. ...

s like that at Rath Turtle were built during the earliest phase of the

Norman conquest of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...

. They usually had a wooden gate tower, with a stone-lined causewayed entrance and stone-lined banks topped by a wooden

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade' ...

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

{{reflist Archaeological sites in County Wicklow National Monuments in County Wicklow