Rath Turtle Moat | |
Native Name: | Ráth Torcaill |
Native Name Lang: | ga |
Alternate Name: | Rathturtle Moat |
Map Type: | Ireland |
Altitude M: | 286 |
Coordinates: | 53.1794°N -6.5578°W |
Location: | Glen Ding, Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland |
Region: | Wicklow Mountains |
Type: | ringwork |
Length: | 49m (161feet) |
Width: | 36m (118feet) |
Area: | 0.55ha |
Builder: | Anglo-Normans |
Material: | earth |
Built: | 12th century AD |
Cultures: | Anglo-Norman |
Ownership: | private |
Designation1: | National Monument of Ireland |
Designation1 Offname: | Rathturtle |
Designation1 Number: | 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, 1.6km (01miles) 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, 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.