Mountfortescue Hillfort
| Mountfortescue Hillfort | |
|---|---|
| Ráth Chnoc Réisc (Irish) | |
  Location within Ireland | |
| 53°45′43″N 6°34′34″W / 53.762048°N 6.576048°W | |
| Type | Tumulus, Hillfort |
| Periods | Middle Ages |
| Location | Mountfortescue, County Meath, Ireland |
| History | |
| Built | AD 500–1000 |
| Site notes | |
| Material | Earth |
| Area | 2.12 hectares (5.2 acres) (ringfort) |
| Diameter | 164 metres (179 yd) (ringfort) |
| Designations | |
| Designation | National Monument |
Mountfortescue Hillfort is a National Monument consisting of a hillfort with tumuli located in County Meath, Ireland.[1][2]
Location
Mountfortescue Hillfort is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Slane Castle and overlooks the Delvin River, a Boyne tributary. It is 900 m (0.56 mi) southeast of Slieve Breagh.[3]
Description
A hillfort is a circular area surrounding a hilltop tumulus (barrow mound), defined by an earthen bank with an external ditch.[4]
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.[5] The barrow cemetery at Slieve Breagh and excavation of a Neolithic settlement suggest the area had been a scene of activity throughout prehistory.[6]
References
- 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.
- ↑ Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. (1969:100). Ireland: Royal Irish Academy.
- ↑ Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland. (1956:108). Ireland: Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
- ↑ "ME00606 - MOUNTFORTESCUE - Hillfort". MeathHeritage.com.
- ↑ "County Meath (Province of Leinster) [section]". Archeological Monuments of Ireland.
- ↑ 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.