Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Cairn - unclassified
Mullaghmeen, County Westmeath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Mullaghmeen
- County
- Westmeath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- 849 Ft. OD
- Latest-edition OS map
- 833 Ft. OD
- Coordinates
- 53.76205, -7.28923
- SMR number
- WM001-060----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Situated on top of Mullagh Hill with panoramic views in all directions. Good view of Lough Sheelin 3.8km to N. Small irregular shaped cairn (Diam. 7m; H 0.4m) with faint traces of a possible external bank visible as a low rise of ground in places at a distance of c. 2m from base of cairn material. This cairn marks the spot height of 261m OD. The monument could be the remains of a 19th century cairn constructed by the Ordnance Survey. Alternatively it could be the remains of a prehistoric cairn that was reused by the OS in the 19th century. Cairn was used as a penitential cairn / mass site in the 17th/18th century. Local folklore recorded at Finnea National School in the late 1930s recorded the following details 'On the top of Mullagh Hill near Foyran, Co. Westmeath there is a big stone with some letters inscribed on it. In years gone by Bishop Hughes [Hugh] said mass on this stone’ (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0719, Page 032; www.duchas.ie). I was unable to locate any large stone used as a mass rock with an inscription in the vicinity of the cairn.
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 14 September 2018
Nearby in the register
- Cairn - unclassifiedunder 1 mi
- Hillfortunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.