Mountfortescue Hillfort
Mountfortescue Hillfort is a National Monument consisting of a hillfort with tumuli located in County Meath, Ireland.[1]
Ráth Chnoc Réisc | |
 .svg.png.webp){kind=icon} Shown within Ireland | |
| Location | Mountfortescue, County Meath, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53.762048°N 6.576048°W |
| Type | Ringditch, Tumulus, Hillfort |
| Area | 2.12 hectares (5.2 acres) (ringfort) |
| Diameter | 164 metres (179 yd) (ringfort) |
| History | |
| Material | Earth |
| Founded | AD 500–1000 |
| Periods | Middle Ages |
| Designation | National Monument |
Location
Mountfortescue Hillfort is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Slane Castle and overlooks the Delvin River, a Boyne tributary.
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]
References
- 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.
- "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.
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