Ráth Torcaill | |
Alternative name | Rathturtle Moat |
---|---|
Location | Glen Ding, Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland |
Region | Wicklow Mountains |
Coordinates | 53°10′46″N 6°33′28″W / 53.179395°N 6.557808°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 |
Rath Turtle Moat is a ringwork and National Monument located in County Wicklow, Ireland. [1] [2]
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]
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] The site has been recognised by the OPW as one of "great historical importance" following an archaeological study of the area. [7]
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.