tamniarin fort
A rath of ringfort consisted of a circular wall of earth broad but not very high with a wooden fence on top. Inside were the round huts of wood and wattle where the farmer and his extended family would have lived. Around the rath, this small community would have cultivated a few fields of wheat or oats and grazed their cattle nearby. It is impossible to date these ringforts individually as they were used from Neolithic times right up to the Celtic times. In some cases, the earthen bank is replaced by a massive stone wall. These types of ringforts are called a "Caher or a Cashel." They can also be referred to as a stone fort and well preserved examples may have terraces and steps in the inner face of the wall. The majority, however, are only traces of stone in a circular pattern. The main purpose of the rath or ringfort was defence, to keep domestic animals in at night so as to protect them from thieves and predators such as wolves.
The Tamniarin Fort is important as it has a souterrain or cave located nearby. Souterrains are underground structures attached to ringforts lined and roofed normally with stone although occassionally with timber. The most common explanation for souterrains is that they were for storage or refuge. It is most likely that they were for refuge where people could retreat, if being attacked. Archaelogical research has shown that ringforts with a souterrain, as in Tamniarin, usually date from the seventh or eighth century AD onwards.
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