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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Promontory fort - inland

Carrickspringan, County Meath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Promontory fort - inland, Carrickspringan, County Meath, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Carrickspringan
County
Meath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Big Rock
Latest-edition OS map
Big Rock
Coordinates
53.81297, -6.88100
SMR number
ME005-075----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1636 · Vltoniae Orientalis Pars (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rise on the E-facing slope of Mullacreven Hill. This is a triangular grass-covered area with rock outcrop (dims c. 50m NW-SE; c. 50m NE-SW at NW) with the apex at SE and steep natural slopes on the NE and S sides. It is protected by a slight earth and stone bank on the NW side, which has entrance gaps towards the SW (Wth of base 1.9m) and NE (Wth of base 2.2m) ends. There is a similar bank on the NE-facing slope below the summit. At the centre on top there is a house site (int. dims 5.5m NE-SW: 2.2m NW-SE) defined by low earthen banks (Wth 1.3m; H 0.4m) with a doorway (Wth 0.7m) on the NW side. Just E of its E corner is a second house (int. dims 4.7m NNW-SSE; 2.1m plus ENE-WSW) defined by slight earthen banks (Wth 1.5m; H 0.3m), but its W side is entirely missing. There is a small house site (int. dims 4.35m NNW-SSE; 2.5m ENE-WSW) on a terrace down the NE-facing slope and outside the bank here. It has gaps at its SW and SE angles, and a path leads down the slope from the latter. There is a fourth house structure (int. dims 7.1m WNW-ESE; 3.6m NNE-SSW) defined by earthen banks (Wth 3m; H 0.4m) at the base of the slope at the SE angle.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revision: 5 September 2018

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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