BRING YOUR OWN PEN AND TOTT
The Rough Fort in Moira has been a place of history for years. Not only the site of ancient history but also the hangout place for many young people summer on summer.
This small rath stands, in Risk townland, on the outskirts of Moira. It has not been excavated and is one of the many raths omitted from the Archaeological Survey of County Down (1966). It is an example of a univallate rath i.e. it is surrounded by one bank. This bank lies between an inner and an outer ditch. The outer ditch is greatly silted-up and partly destroyed by the nearby road. The inner ditch surrounds the central platform, which has a slightly dished appearance. A causeway on the east side leads through the bank and ditches to the inner platform.
Moira has been a settlement for at least 1,500 years. For the period it consisted most probably only of small dwellings surrounded by several earthen ringforts. Evidence of three such forts still remain. The best known of these is the so-called "Rough Fort", situated on Old Kilmore Road. However, the remains of "Pretty Mary's Fort" exist behind the Waringfield residential area. Finally, evidence of a third ringfort can be found near Claremont.
In fact, the supposed ring fort in Moira is actually a henge dating back thousands of years. see the book "Finding Footprints" by David McFarland.
The existence of these primitive defences, coupled with the good view afforded from the top of Moira hill, made the settlement strategically valuable. Proximity to Lough Neagh enhanced this value. Accordingly, during the repeated power struggles of the first millennium the area was often fought over, and eventually witnessed the largest battle in the history of Ireland when three tribal kings contested the area to determine supremacy in Ulster and beyond. This was the Battle of Moira. Its impact on Moira is still felt; two townlands still bear battle names, Aughnafosker (meaning field of slaughter) and Carnalbanagh (meaning the Scotsman's grave). After the battle, a bishop by the name of Ronan Finn (who was later canonized) was alleged to have created a monastery in the area.
The Cache is a magnetic disguised cache, many SIGNS and wonders are around this Environmental area, don't be afraid to get up close and personal, feel the grass, get your hands dirty.
