Rathgall, (
Irish: ''An Ráth Gheal'') or the Ring of the Rath is a large
multivallate
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
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
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 ...
which is in state care.
Excavations led by
Barry Raftery
Barry Raftery (16 August 1944 – 22 August 2010) was an Irish archaeologist and academic. He is best known for his pioneering work in wetland archaeology and Iron Age hillforts in Ireland. He was Professor of Celtic Archaeology in University Col ...
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
{{reflist
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.
Hill forts in Ireland
National Monuments in County Wicklow