School: Danesfort (roll number 1300)
- Location:
- Danesfort, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Bean Uí Eadhra
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0854, Page 208
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Rathclough
A Rath is supposed to be the dwelling place of fairies. In the district in which I live there is a rath situated a field away from my house. It is a circular piece of ground elevated higher than the surrounding land and around this is a trench marking where there was once a dyke of water. The inner portion of it is very nice. The embankment on the inside is raised higher than on the outside.
This is really the remains of an old Irish dwelling house and the fort was used to protect them from the wild beasts that prowled through Ireland when its woods were the homes of the wolf and the wild boar. In times of invasion these forts were very useful also. There are many other forts in the district besides the one already mentioned, and these were all used for the same purposes. One side of the Rath is breasted with stones and probably it is because of this fact that the townland came to be called Rathclough.
About five hundred yards due north of this rath stands a big hawthorn tree called the "Fiddlers Bush." It is said that a fiddler used to play tunes under(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Denis Brophy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 13
- Address
- Rathclogh, Co. Kilkenny
