Mountfortescue Hillfort

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Mountfortescue Hillfort
Ráth Chnoc Réisc
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Shown within Ireland
LocationMountfortescue,
County Meath, Ireland
Coordinates 53°45′43″N6°34′34″W / 53.762048°N 6.576048°W / 53.762048; -6.576048 Coordinates: 53°45′43″N6°34′34″W / 53.762048°N 6.576048°W / 53.762048; -6.576048
Type Ringditch, Tumulus, Hillfort
Area2.12 hectares (5.2 acres) (ringfort)
Diameter164 metres (179 yd) (ringfort)
History
MaterialEarth
FoundedAD 500–1000
PeriodsMiddle Ages
Designation National Monument

Mountfortescue Hillfort is a National Monument consisting of a hillfort with tumuli located in County Meath, Ireland. [1]

Hillfort Type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement

A hillfort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period. The fortification usually follows the contours of a hill, consisting of one or more lines of earthworks, with stockades or defensive walls, and external ditches. Hillforts developed in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age, roughly the start of the first millennium BC, and were used in many Celtic areas of central and western Europe until the Roman conquest.

Tumulus Mound of earth and stones raised over graves

A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or kurgans, and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built for various purposes, may also originally have been a tumulus.

County Meath County in the Republic of Ireland

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Mid-East Region. It is named after the historic Kingdom of Meath. Meath County Council is the local authority for the county. At the 2016 census, the population of the county was 195,044. The county town of Meath is Navan. Other towns in the county include Trim, Kells, Laytown, Ashbourne, Dunboyne, and Slane.

Contents

Location

Mountfortescue Hillfort is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Slane Castle and overlooks the Delvin River, a Boyne tributary.

Slane Castle

Slane Castle is located in the village of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Ireland. The castle has been the family seat of the Conyngham family since it was built in the late 18th century, on land first purchased in 1703 by Brig.-Gen. Henry Conyngham.

Delvin River river in Ireland

The River Delvin is a river of north County Dublin, about 18 kilometres (11 mi) long and forming much of the Dublin-Meath boundary. It is largely under the responsibility of Fingal County Council, sometimes shared with Meath County Council.

River Boyne River in Ireland

The River Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about 112 kilometres (70 mi) long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea between Mornington, County Meath, and Baltray, County Louth.

Description

A hillfort is a circular area surrounding a hilltop tumulus (barrow mound), defined by an earthen bank with an external ditch. [2]

The Ordnance Survey records a circular enclosure (about 180 yards in diameter) with a mound at the Mountfortescue site. [1] The archaeological monument consists of Mountfortescue Ringditch, Tumulus & Hillfort. [3] The barrow cemetery at Slieve Breagh and excavation of a Neolithic settlement suggest the area had been a scene of activity throughout prehistory. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 Ó Ríordáin, Seán P. (1956). "Small Hill-Fort and Tumulus on Mountfortescue". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 86 (1): 106–107. JSTOR   25509239.
  2. "ME00606 - MOUNTFORTESCUE - Hillfort". MeathHeritage.com.
  3. "County Meath (Province of Leinster) [section]". Archeological Monuments of Ireland.
  4. O'Halpin, Andy; Newman, Conor (2006). Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide to Sites from Earliest Times to AD 1600. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 338. ISBN   0192880578.