Material Earth | Founded AD 500–1000 | |
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Type Ringditch, Tumulus, Hillfort Area 2.12 hectares (5.2 acres) (ringfort) Diameter 164 metres (179 yd) (ringfort) Designation National monuments of Ireland | ||
Mountfortescue Hillfort is a National Monument consisting of a hillfort with tumuli located in County Meath, Ireland.
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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. According to the University of Oxford,
"Hillforts are one of the most prominent types of prehistoric monument across many parts the British Isles and Ireland as well as being the most obvious legacy of the Iron Age period."
The Ordnance Survey records a circular enclosure (about 180 yards in diameter) with a mound at the Mountfortescue site. The archaeological monument consists of Mountfortescue Ringditch, Tumulus & Hillfort. The barrow cemetery at Slieve Breagh and excavation of a Neolithic settlement suggest the area had been a scene of activity throughout prehistory.