Monument Descriptions

Ringforts, crannogs and mottes make up the bulk of the historic monuments not only in north Meath, but across the island of Ireland as a whole. Crannogs continued to be used well into the late medieval period, though there was a rapid decline in the construction of ringforts from the 10th century onwards.1 During this period, monastic towns had grown into important urban centres,2 attracting many Irish kings. Murchad O’Melaghlin, King of Mide, for example, died at the Augustinian Priory in Durrow in AD 1153, as did his son, Máel Sechnaill.3 Other kings in the south and east had residences in Viking coastal towns.4

Despite the influx into the towns and cities, crannogs and ringforts did remain in use to some degree even after the arrival of stone castles. The general consensus has always been that castles arrived in Ireland with the coming of the Normans, however there are references in the Irish annals that Gaelic kings were familiar with their design and were using them to defend key areas5 – particularly in Connacht. In some cases the Normans, who often fought with each other as much as with the Gaels, even helped Irish kings construct their own castles. Gilbert de Angulo of Navan, for example, who held the Barony of Morgallion, rebelled against the English king and assisted Cathal O’Connor erect a castle as early as 1212AD.6

Below are the most common monuments to appear in the Civil Parishes of Moybologue, Kilmainhamwood and Moynalty. Details on local castles are included in the Castles & Conquest section.

Ringforts

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A photo of the crannog on Ervey Lake, 2021

Crannogs

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Edengora wedge tomb

Tombs

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The motte in Nobber, Co. Meath

Mottes

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References

  1. Francis J. Byrne, Seanchas: Studies in Early and Medieval Irish Archaeology, History and Literature (Dublin, 1999), p. 297
  2. T. B Barry, The Archaeology of Medieval Ireland (London, 1988), pp. 30-36
  3. Mark Joseph Zumbuhl, ‘The practice of Irish kingship in the central Middle Ages’, PHD Thesis, University of Glasgow (April, 2005), pp. 50-51
  4. Leonie V. Hicks, ‘The concept of the frontier in Norman chronicles: A comparative approach’ in Keith J. Stringer and Andrew Jotischky (eds) Norman Expansion: Connections, Continuities and Contrasts (Oxford, 2016), p. 132
  5. Clare Downham, Medieval Ireland (Cambridge, 2018), p. 332
  6. Edmund Curtis, A History of Medieval Ireland: From 1086 to 1513 (Oxford, 2012), p. 115