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Posted by MM on July 03, 2003 at 02:42:47: In Reply to: Re: Castlebar's ring forts posted by NukeML on July 03, 2003 at 02:18:36:
"Ringforts ----roughly circular embankments---are known to archeology as the remains of early medieval dwelling places;despite their name,few of them are thought to have any defensive purpose.The majority appear to have been built as enclosures for dwellings in the second half of the first Millenium..Ringforts are known variously as rath,rusheen,fort,forth,cashel,or in Irish,ráth,lios,bruíon,sí, and cathair.Long deserted,they were commonly referred to in their localities as places where the fairies lived"Its amazing that the superstitions still exist.A fascinating book about oral folk beliefs is "The Burning of Bridget Cleary".
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