Ráth Lao

The townland name Ráth Lao refers to an early medieval earthen ringfort, literally "ring-fort of the calf" or "ring-fort of the calves," according to John O'Donovan's 1836 documentation in the Ordnance Survey Parish Namebooks. The ráth element indicates an Iron Age or early medieval enclosure, predating the stone fortifications of later periods. Variant spellings in historical records span from...