Ballyallaban ringfort
earthen ringfort in County Clare, Ireland
Ballyallaban ringfort (Irish: Baile Albóin) or sometimes An Rath ("The Rath") is an earthen ringfort south of Ballyvaughan in the Burren area, in County Clare, Ireland. It is a National Monument.
Location
The fort lies right next to the R480 road between the village of Ballyvaughan and Leamaneh Castle. It is located in the townland of Ballyallaban, in the civil parish of Rathborney.
Description
The ringfort has an internal diameter of around 100 feet (200 feet including the moat) and is in good condition, although trees grow on much of the structure. The ramparts were built with the earth dug out of the moat, which still fills with water after rain.
The walls were originally even higher, and the moat deeper, than they are now. The embankment was most likely topped by a wooden palisade.
Designation
The national monument including Ballyallaban ringfort, number 648, actually consists of two separate forts: the earthen Ballyallaban ringfort, and the nearby stone fort of Cahermore.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Ballyallaban ringfort” is earthen ringfort in County Clare, Ireland. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Ballyallaban, ringfort and earthen, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “earthen ringfort in County Clare, Ireland” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q805387. Authority coordinates are 53.090, -9.159. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ballyallaban ringfort”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ballyallaban ringfort primary sources, Ballyallaban ringfort archive and Ballyallaban research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ballyallaban ringfort”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ballyallaban ringfort” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.