Rathfalla Henge View all content for Rathfalla

Rathfalla or (Rath Bhaile - rath of the town) is described as a ring-fort in The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary'. I recently visited it as part of research for an article I was writing and discovered that rather than an external ditch which is the norm for ring-forts in Ireland it actually has an internal ditch which is more indicative of ceremonial use or a henge. The diameter of the monument is 90m and the entrance is in the south-west.

Posted by bawn79 4th May 2015ce

Comments (1)
This analysis is sound. In Britain, henges often have pronounced inner ditches which delineate the inner stage. If outer ditches are present, I suspect they were dug to provide material for the bank. Defensive sites in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (e.g. Ring Forts) have the ditch on the outside to enhance defense. This does not preclude a henge being later modifed into a Ring Fort, but if you have an inner ditch, suspect a henge.	Posted by NRestArchaeology 28th May 2024ce
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