Hillfort

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on top of a prominent hill overlooking a fairly level landscape. The hill, known in Old Irish as Ocha, is the traditional burial place of Niall of the Nine Hostages (Morris 1926; Byrne 1973, 77). Geophysical survey was undertaken on the eastern part of the hill in 2013 by the Discovery Programme as part of the ‘Late Iron Age and “Roman” Ireland’ project when a large number of features were recorded (Dowling 2015b, 17-20). Chief amongst these is a large hilltop enclosure defined by two widely-spaced groups of features. The outer group (diam. c. 400m) consists of two ditches placed c. 7-8m apart with what might be a palisade trench c. 7m inside the inner ditch. A gap through the three features at NE is an original entrance. The inner, concentric enclosure (diam. c. 270m) is defined by a single fosse feature and has an entrance gap aligned with that of the outer enclosure. Just inside the inner enclosure an erratic double fosse feature may represent a palisade enclosure, with its line in places incorporated in the track of the inner enclosure fosse.

No identifiable features are located between the two enclosing groups of fosses, but inside the inner enclosure are a number of smaller enclosures that tend to accumulate on the summit where three circular features (diam. 10-12m) defined by fosses or palisade trenches can be identified. They probably represent large hut-sites and two of them overlap the defining fosse of an enclosure (diam. c. 35m). Another enclosure (diam. c. 35m) on the S-facing slope of the hill has hints of internal and overlapping circular features. (Dowling and Cahill Wilson 2014)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 7 January, 2016

References

Morris, H. 1926 The battle of Ocha and the burial place of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 56, 29-42.

Dowling, G. and Cahill Wilson, J. 2014 Tracing the Footprint of our Ancestors. Archaeology Ireland, vol. 38, No. 1, 20-22.

Dowling, G.2015b Exploring the Hidden Depths of Tara's Hinterland: Geophysical Survey and Landscape Investigations in the Meath – North Dublin Region, eastern Ireland. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, Available on CJO 2015 doi: 10.1017/ppr.2015.11

Byrne, F.J. 1973 (reprint 1983) Irish Kings and High Kings. London. Batsford.