Sonnagh fort is a ringfort (rath) and National Monument located in County Longford, Ireland.[2][3]

Sonnagh fort
Ráth an tSonnaigh
Sonnagh fort is located in Ireland
Sonnagh fort
Shown within Ireland
LocationSonnagh, Aughnacliffe,
County Longford, Ireland
Coordinates53°49′51″N 7°36′02″W / 53.830744°N 7.600570°W / 53.830744; -7.600570
Typeringfort
Area0.39 ha (0.96 acres)
History
Materialearth
PeriodsBronze or Iron Age (c. 2400 BC – AD 400)
Site notes
Ownershipprivate
DesignationNational Monument
Official nameSonnagh
Reference no.598[1]

Location

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Sonnagh fort is located about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) west of Lough Gowna and 7.2 km (4.5 mi) north-northeast of Ballinalee. It stands in a commanding place overlooking the eastern plains extending to County Westmeath.

Description

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The ringfort is a large bivallate enclosure with double bank and ditch. A spring lies immediately to the east.

History

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There are seven ringforts surrounding Aughnacliffe, of which Sonnagh is the best preserved. These forts are better thought of as protected homesteads rather than military structures.[4] While house type varied, most were made of wood and were usually of post and wattle construction. The walls of the houses consisted of a double row of wattle spaced about 20 cm apart with a cavity filled with straw and bracken for insulation. The roof was thatched with straw and held up with wooden posts.[5] The fort's walls gives their name to the townland: sonnach is Irish for "palisade."[6]

References

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  1. ^ "National Monuments of County Longford in State Care" (PDF). heritageireland.ie. National Monument Service. p. 1. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.longfordlibrary.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Wish I Was In Ireland".
  4. ^ "Longford, Co Longford". 3 September 2008.
  5. ^ "archive-ie.com: longfordtourism.ie - Ardagh - County Longford Tourism Website".
  6. ^ "Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (Ó Dónaill): sonnach".