forts historical ireland

Kinsale can easily claim its place amongst Ireland's most historic locations for this has been a centre of population, commerce, trade and fishing far beyond memory and record.

In its earliest days the estuary of the Bandon River gave it great importance as the river is tidal as far as Innishannon and water transport was dominant until the 18th Century. The estuary also provided excellent anchorage for ancient shipping which went in peril of the vagaries of the weather.

The t...

Dubh Cathair, or Doocaher, 'The Black Fort', is one of several large stone-built fortifications on Inismore, Aran. Historically, it has received less attention than famed Dun Aengus, 3.5 miles to the north-west, but is scarcely less remarkable a structure and may in fact be considerably older - though none of the Aran forts has been closely dated so far.

The defences at Dubh Cathair consist of a great drystone wall some 200 feet long, curving across the neck of a cliffed limestone...

Only remains of the earthen wall to suggest former fort, but a depression in the northwest portion reveals a low lintel stone over a small opening. Through the opening is an excellent example of a soutrerrain i.e. a manmade, subetrrain structure built for purposes of storage and protection in time of attack.

The Gortaboy Souterrain contains 3 spacious chambers, connected by two - traps - low crawl spaces designed to slow down anyone attempting to get inside....

This large oval mound dominates the Bann River beside the site of Ireland's oldest house, inhabited 9,000 years ago. Riverside walk. Free access always. A mile south-east of Coleraine....

One of many legends regarding the origins of the mound says that it is the burial place of Amergin, an early Celtic poet, but it has also been suggested that it was possibly a large passage grave like Newgrange. It was fortified as a motte by the Normans in the 12th century and a castle was later built on its summit. The fort offered Cromwell the strongest resistance he encountered during the siege of 1649, and the Governor of the town, Sir Arthur Aston, was killed here in the course of combat...

Access by foot via a forestry car park signposted to the left off the N18 road between Newmarket-on-fergus and Dromoland. The famous iron age ring fort of Mooghaun, 'one of our most remarkable antiquities. It has three great stone walls of which the outermost, oval in outline, measures 450 m x 30 m' - O Riordain, 1942. It enclosed 18 hectares....

This site was regarded as one of the most potentially significant sites in the entire area. A Promontory Fort is essentially a defensive structure and they have been dated to the Early Iron Age. This one consists of an extensive and very well preserved complex of earthworks with wide views of Kinvara Bay.

The tomb consists of a simple chamber, with sides and back formed of large single stones, capped with a roofstone. The smaller field stones on top are perhaps remains of the original e...

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Just to the west of the city of Armagh lies Navan, once known as Ema. Dynamic audio-visual techniques, narration, interactive devices and even the design of the building itself are all employed to bring the area's archaelogy and mystery to life....

The Redoubt on Windmill hill, site of a 17th century star-shaped artillery fort. The moat, rampart walls and the remains of a swivel gun are still visible. Superb panorama of Enniskillen, the River Erne and Portora Royal School from the rampart....