Barrow - mound barrow

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight S-facing slope in a fairly level landscape, with a NNW-SSE arm of the Tolka River c. 60m to the NE and a smaller NW-SE arm of the same river c. 250m to the SW. The two streams converge c. 500m to the SE. This is described as the site of Piercetown Castle on the 1836 and 1908 editions of the OS 6-inch map, probably because the Down Survey (1656-8) barony and parish maps of Dunboyne depict a tower at Piercetown in the angle formed by the rivers. However, the site of the castle is likely to be where Piercetown House is located c. 100m to the NNW.
This mound is not the castle. Human remains were discovered c. 1m below its surface in 1955 when an attempt was being made to remove the mound. It was investigated by the National Museum of Ireland, and at that time it was described as a circular mound (diam. of base 22-23m; H 1.5m), although it was already reduced in size. The burials were described locally as supine inhumations aligned W-E with the heads at W (Cahill and Sikora 2011, vol. 2, 504). In 1969 it is described (SMR file) as a grass-covered, earth and stone mound (diam. of base 12.5m N-S) with a flat top (diam. 6.5m N-S; H 1m) that slopes down (H 0.4m) to the S.

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 upload: 10 July 2007
Amended: 29 October 2021

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 220/1955).

References

Cahill, M. and Sikora, M. (eds) 2011 Breaking ground, finding graves - reports on the excavations of burials by the National Museum of Ireland, 1927-2006, 2 vols. Dublin. Wordwell Ltd. in association with the National Museum of Ireland.