A spin last week saw me cycling through the Heath near Portlaoise.
This area is grassy commonage and covered in Bronze Age Ring Barrows and Iron Age Ring Fort remains (Raths).
Most are difficult to make out as they are covered in gorse and scrub. The Ring Barrow just up the road from the Primary School is particularly easy to spot as it has been cleared of gorse. It also looks great. Barrows are Bronze Age burial sites.
There's an interesting old stone building near the golf course and I have no idea what it was used for. It doesn't seem to be listed in the Architectural Inventory.
Near to the Heath is the ruin of The Heath Church which has a nice font (stoup) on the brickwork. The Church ruin is a "T" shape and the grounds are well kept.
The archaeology of the Heath spans thousands of years and it's a pity there's not more done to highlight the area and its long history.
The Heath in Irish : An Fraoch Mór.