Dunnamona

Dunnamona is a motte-and-bailey and National Monument in County Westmeath, Ireland.[1]

Dunnamona
Dún na Móna
Shown within Ireland
LocationDunnamona, Drumraney,
County Westmeath, Ireland
RegionTethbae
Coordinates53.499548°N 7.783629°W / 53.499548; -7.783629
Typemotte
Diameter36 m (118 ft)
Height9 metres (30 ft)
History
BuilderDillon family
Materialearth
Founded12th century
PeriodsNorman Ireland
CulturesCambro-Norman, Old English
Site notes
Public accessyes
Designation
Designations
Official nameDunnamona
Reference no.560

Location

Dunnamona motte is located next to a tributary of the Owenacharra River, 4.7 km (2.9 mi) east of Tubberclare.[2]

History and archaeology

Motte-and-bailey castles were a primitive type of castle built by the Norman invasion, a mound of earth topped by a wooden palisade. This region, known as Tethbae, was allotted to the Dillon family, descendants of Sir Henry de Leon (c. 1176 – 1244). They built the motte at Dunnamona ("hillfort of peat") as well as another at Drumraney, later abandoning the mottes for permanent stone castles.[3]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.