Rathsoony Explained

Rathsoony
Native Name:	Ráth an tSonnaigh
Native Language:	ga
Other Name:	Rathsonny
Coordinates:	53.1812°N -8.5106°W
Location:	Masonbrook, Loughrea, County Galway, Ireland
Area:	0.6ha
Built:	1st–9th century AD
Elevation:	124m (407feet)
Designation1:	National monument of Ireland
Designation1 Offname:	Rathsoony
Designation1 Number:	499

Rathsoony is a ringfort and national monument located in County Galway, Ireland.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Location

Rathsoony is located 4 km (miles) southeast of Loughrea.^[4]

History and description

Rathsoony is a quadrivallate rath not much raised above the field level, with a central rampart and two fosses with an intervening ring and marked by a sunken way. It also has a souterrain.^[5] The Irish name means "Ringfort of the palisade", indicating that it was surrounded by a wall of stakes.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship: Galway . 4 March 2009 . . 14 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171114053649/https://www.archaeology.ie/sites/default/files/media/pdf/monuments-in-state-care-galway.pdf . live . 16 August 2019.
2. Web site: The history of Galway. Sean. Spellissy. 1 January 1999. Celtic Bookshop. Google Books.
3. Web site: The history of Galway. Sean. Spellissy. 1 January 1999. Celtic Bookshop. Google Books.
4. Web site: Rathsonny ringfort masonbrook loughrea. Flickr.com. 16 August 2019.
5. Book: Ireland, Royal Society of Antiquaries of. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Rathsonny.. 1 January 1920. The Society. Internet Archive.
6. Web site: - Place names of Galway. Places.galwaylibrary.ie. 16 August 2019.