Concentric enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the summit of a locally prominent hill, called 'Violet Hill (OS 1836) or Dalystown Hill (OS 1912). The ‘old fort’ is noted in a land sale of 1815 (Ellison 1967, 18) and it is depicted on the 1836 and 1912 editions of the OS 6-inch map. This was described in 1970 (SMR file) as a circular area (diam. 21m WNW-ESE), of which only the N part survived, defined by an earthen bank (at NNE: Wth of base 4.3m; int. H 0.2m; ext. H 1.9m) and outer fosse (at NNE: Wth of top 5.3m; Wth of base 1.7m; ext. D 0.3m) WNW-N-ESE. The fosse was separated by a berm (at NNE: Wth 11m; at E: Wth 23m) from an outer bank (at NNE: Wth of base 7.4m; int. H 0.3m; ext. H 1.3m) that only survived NNW-E. An entrance through either bank was not recognised. The visible profile of the monument had been removed by 1995 (OSAP). Rath (ME041-009----) is c. 200m to the ENE.

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: 9 August 2019

References

OSAP - Ordnance Survey Aerial Photographs. Photographic collection. Ordnance Survey of Ireland. Dublin.

SMR file - Sites and monuments record files in the National Monuments Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Ellison, Rev. C.C. 1967 Notes on the Rise and Fall of a great Meath Estate. Ríocht na Mídhe, vol. 4, No. 1, 3-25.