Tara Ring of Forts

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Ring of forts around Tara

LISMULLIN RATH LUGH - SKRYNE - BARONSTOWN - COLLIERSTOWN - ROESTOWN - ROSS CROSS - RINGLESTON RATH - ODDER - BLUNDELSTOWN AND RATHMILES

LISMULLIN

Lismullin Stone

Tara Landscape

RATH LUGH

SKRYNE

Skryne, or Skreen as it is officially known, is a small village situated on and around a hill.
The hill is a short distance west of Tara and the area is sometimes referred to as the Tara/Skryne Valley.
The Hill of Skryne is actually higher than its more famous neighbour at Tara. One can enjoy wonderful views of each hill from the summit of the other. In the 12th century, Hugh de Lacy granted the Barony of Skryne to his finest knight, Adam de Feipo.
He subdivided it and granted twenty of his followers with land grants. Today, eight centuries later, one of those twenty estates is still held by a direct descendant of the original grantee, that of Dunsany.

Church - Skryne

from HERE

BARONSTOWN

Under cover of moonlight

The SIAC/Ferrovial construction company, Eurolink, resorted to underhand tactics in the early hours of Wednesday morning July 4th when they arrived at Baronstown, reportedly, at 4am with machines to destroy the monument there. This may very well have been a National Monument along with the extraordinary graveyard at Collierstown.

Indymedia story HERE

Fig. 8 Bronze Penannular brooch with zoomorphic decoration (bird head) terminals (ACS Ltd)

Fig 9. Bent shaft of bronze ring pin

I HERE for things found at Baronstown

The enclosure at Baronstown lies within an almost circular field, visible in this aerial photograph, which may represent a larget outer enclosure (Courtesy of ACS Ltd)

Baronstown in April 2007

COLLIERSTOWN

many bodies were forund here

Indymedia story HERE

Collierstown April 24 2007

ROESTOWN

Roestown aerial - ready for destruction

Souterrain at Roestown

Indymedie astory HERE

ROSS CROSS

Tara Cross

around Tara village Old Ross road

Rath Maeve

n connexion with Tara, two other great circular forts ought to be mentioned. A mile south of Rath Righ lies Rath Maire, which is very large—673 feet in diameter; it forms a striking object as seen from the hill, and is well worth examining.

HERE

more HERE

It was erected, according to one account, by Queen Maive (not Queen Maive of Croghan), wife of Art the solitary, the father of King Cormac mac Art,

Which would fix the period of its erection as the beginning of the third century. The other fort is300 feet in diameter, lying one mile north of the Banqueting-Hall: but nothing is known of its history

RINGLESTON RATH

The recently dead are certainly
often
described as being among the fairies, but the dead of the ancient
tribes of Ireland are also thought of as The Gentry. John Boglin, for instance, of Kilmessan, near Tara, who was about sixty years when he gave his evidence, reported this of the fairy tribes:

"There is said to be a whole tribe of little red men living in Glen
Odder, between Ringleston and Tara; and in long evenings in June they have been heard. There are other breeds or castes of fairies; and it seems to me, when I recall our ancient traditions, that some of these fairies are of the Fir Bolgs, some of the Tuatha de Danaan, and some of the Milesians.

Ringlestown Rath

Ringlestown Rath

All of them have been seen round the western slope of Tara, dressed in ancient Irish costumes. Unlike the little red men, these fairy races are warlike and given to making invasions."

Later on in giving his evidence, John Boglin said:

The Fairies are the Dead - 'According to the local belief, fairies are the spirits of the departed. Tradition says that Hugh O'Neil in the sixteenth century, after his march to the south, encamped his army on the Rath or Fort of Ringlestown, to be assisted by the spirits of the mighty dead who dwelt within this rath. And it is believed that Gerald Fitzgerald has been seen coming out of the HillMollyellen, down inCounty Louth, leading his horse and dressed in the old Irish costume, with heartplate, spear and was outfit.'

ODDER

Hillfort at Odder

Odder Castle

Meath - TaraSkryneLandscapeConservationArea plan HERE

Blundelstown and Rathmiles

n connexion with Tara, two other great circular forts ought to be mentioned. A mile south of Rath Righ lies Rath Maire, which is very large—673 feet in diameter; it forms a striking object as seen from the hill, and is well worth examining.

HERE

Aerial view looking northwards from Rathmiles (centre left) towards the proposed route of the M3 toll-motorway and major interchange (mid-top right)

more HERE

It was erected, according to one account, by Queen Maive (not Queen Maive of Croghan), wife of Art the solitary, the father of King Cormac mac Art,

Which would fix the period of its erection as the beginning of the third century. The other fort is300 feet in diameter, lying one mile north of the Banqueting-Hall: but nothing is known of its history