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Ranaghan
Ranaghan is a townland and archaeological site in County Westmeath, Ireland. Introduction It is south-west of Lough Lene on high ground where there are a multitude of ringforts. Randoon (Randún), possibly the most famous fort of the area, is between Castlepollard and Collinstown. Turgesius the Viking is believed to have governed and sojourned in this area. Origins Ringforts are fortified settlements, generally agreed to be from the Early Medieval Period in Northern Europe, especially Ireland. They are also known as ''ráth'' (as in Ranaghan) ''caiseal'', ''cathair'' and ''dún'' (as in Randoon/Randún) in the early Irish sources. A ''ráth'' (anglicised rath) was made of earth; ''caiseal'' (northwestern Ireland, anglicised cashel) and ''cathair'' (southwestern Ireland) were built of stone. A ''dún'' is a more prestigious site, the seat of a local chieftain or ruler; the term is also applied to promontory forts. Locations No historical or archaeological maps, surveys, nor r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Region , subdivision_name2 = Eastern and Midland , seat_type = County town , seat = Mullingar , parts_type = Largest settlement , parts = Athlone , leader_title = Local authority , leader_name = Westmeath County Council , leader_title2 = Dáil constituencies , leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = EP constituency , leader_name3 = Midlands–North-West , area_total_km2 = 1840 , area_rank = 21st , population_total = 95,840. , population_as_of = 2022 , population_footnotes = , population_density_km2 = auto , population_rank = 22nd , blank_ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Collinstown
Collinstown () is a village in north County Westmeath, situated on the R395 regional road overlooking Lough Lene. It lies northeast of the county town of Mullingar and (as of the 2016 census) had a population of 356. Toponymy The Irish name of the village means 'town of the veiled women', or 'town of the hags', owing to a convent once established on an island on nearby Lough Lene. History Collinstown has been an inhabited area since pre-Christian times. West of the village, in the townland of Ranaghan, are the remains of several ringforts. At least one of these is attributed to the Viking chief Turgesius, who is said to have conquered Dublin. Turgesius built them on high ground overlooking Lough Lene for defensive purposes and dwelled there before being killed by Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid, the High King of Ireland. In addition to this fort, Turgesius also had another upon the largest island of Lough Lene which still today bears his name, Turgesius Island. The ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Randoon
Randoon (Randún) is a Turgesius Viking fortress located southwest of Lough Lene in Ireland. The fortress is situated upon a hill in Ranaghan, dominating by its height all other ringforts in the area, and overlooking Lough Lene between the towns of Castlepollard and Collinstown. The locally used term ''fort'' refers to any of the multitude of ringforts, many of which have been overgrown by vegetation. These remain today as historical relics Early Medieval Period of Ireland and Western Europe; they protected by Irish national heritage law. Habitat The area supports deciduous woodland mostly of native species such as hazel (''Corylus avellana''), rowan (''Sorbus aucuparia''), ash (''Fraxinus excelsior'') and sessile oak (''Quercus petraea''). Exotic species occur occasionally, including beech (''Fagus sylvatica''). The neighbouring Loughpark, Windtown woods are inhabited by wild pheasant and are a popular attraction for the local pheasant hunters. On occasions the pochard popu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Castlepollard
Castlepollard ( or ''Cionn Toirc'') is a village in north County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland. It lies west of Lough Lene and northeast of Lough Derravaragh and Mullingar. Name The name ''Castlepollard'' comes from the name of a castle or fortified manor built by the English army captain Nicholas Pollard in the early 17th century. The village's official Irish name is ''Baile na gCros'' (anglicised ''Ballinagross''), meaning "town of the cross (or crossroads". However, the name ''Cionn Toirc'' (anglicised ''Kinturk''), meaning "head of the boar", has also been applied to the village. The townland of Kinturk Demesne covers the southern part of the village. Transport Bus Éireann route 111 serves Castlepollard eight times a day (less often at weekends) linking it to Dublin, Trim, Athboy, Delvin, Abbeylara, Granard and Cavan. Route 447 provides a link to Mullingar via Crookedwood on Thursdays only. The nearest rail service is at Mullingar railway station, approximately 22&n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lough Lene
Lough Lene ( Irish: ''Loch Léinn'') is a lake situated in north County Westmeath, Ireland, between the villages of Castlepollard, Collinstown and Fore. It possesses a rich and varied history. It also boasts the existence of prehistoric burial sites, old ruins, many ancient village-type communal circular dwellings locally called ringforts, stiles, and mass paths. Lough Lene also has claims to being the home to kings and Vikings, such as Turgesius who had one of his forts upon the hill on the southwest overlooking the lake from the Ranaghan side, before being killed by Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid. Legend & history The name of the lake has appeared in a variety of ways including Lane, Léin and Leibhinn. Sir Henry Piers believed the lake's name translated as Lake of Learning, tying in with his translation of Fore as the Town of Books. However, other sources seem more inclined to the tradition that the lake was named after the daughter of the fabled Manannán mac Lir (s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archaeological Sites In County Westmeath
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. It is usually considered an independent academic discipline, but may also be classified as part of anthropology (in North America – the four-field approach), history or geography. Archaeologists study human prehistory and history, from the development of the first stone tools at Lomekwi in East Africa 3.3 million years ago up until recent decades. Archaeology is distinct from palaeontology, which is the study of fossil remains. Archaeology is particularly important for learning about prehistoric societies, for which, by definition, there are no written records. Prehistory includes over 99% of the human past, from the Paleolithic until the advent o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forts In Ireland
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ("to make"). From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). A Greek ''Towns of ancient Greece#Military settlements, phrourion'' was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the ancient Roman, Roman castellum or English language, English fortress. These constructions mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medieval Ireland
Ireland in the Middle Ages may refer to: * History of Ireland (400–800), Ireland in the early Middle Ages *History of Ireland (800–1169), Ireland in the high Middle Ages * History of Ireland (1169–1536), Ireland in the late Middle Ages See also * History of Ireland * Early Modern Ireland *Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans ... External links *{{Commonscatinline, Middle Ages in Ireland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turgesius
Turgesius (died 845) (also called Turgeis, Tuirgeis, Turges, and Thorgest) was a Viking chief active in Ireland during the 9th century. Turgesius Island, the principal island on Lough Lene, is named after him. It is not at all clear whether the names in the Irish annals represent the Old Norse ''Thurgestr'' or ''Thorgísl''.W.E.D. Allen, The Poet and the Spae-Wife: An Attempt to Reconstruct Al-Ghazal's Embassy to the Vikings' Dublin: Figgis, Viking Society for Northern Research, 1960, OCLC 557547145, p. 46. John O'Donovan and Charles Haliday independently identified him with Ragnar Loðbrók, but the identification is not generally accepted. Life The sole reliable record of Turgesius is a report of his death in the ''Annals of Ulster''. In 845 he was captured by Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Clann Cholmáin who was High King of Ireland. These reports state that Turgesius was drowned in Lough Owel. Less certainly, the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' associate Turgesius wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hill Of Tara
The Hill of Tara ( ga, Teamhair or ) is a hill and ancient ceremonial and burial site near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. Tradition identifies the hill as the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland; it also appears in Irish mythology. Tara consists of numerous monuments and earthworks—dating from the Neolithic to the Iron Age—including a passage tomb (the " Mound of the Hostages"), burial mounds, round enclosures, a standing stone (believed to be the '' Lia Fáil'' or "Stone of Destiny"), and a ceremonial avenue. There is also a church and graveyard on the hill. Tara forms part of a larger ancient landscape and Tara itself is a protected national monument under the care of the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Irish Government. Name The name ''Tara'' is an anglicization of the Irish name or ('hill of Tara'). It is also known as ('Tara of the kings'), and formerly also ('the grey ridge'). The Old Irish form is . It is believed this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grianan Of Aileach
The Grianan of Aileach ( ; ga, Grianán Ailigh ), sometimes anglicised as Greenan Ely or Greenan Fort, is a hillfort atop the high Greenan Mountain at Inishowen in County Donegal, Ireland. The main structure is a stone ringfort, thought to have been built by the Northern Uí Néill, in the sixth or seventh century CE; although there is evidence that the site had been in use before the fort was built. It has been identified as the seat of the Kingdom of Ailech and one of the royal sites of Gaelic Ireland. The wall is about thick and high. Inside it has three terraces, which are linked by steps, and two long passages within it. Originally, there would have been buildings inside the ringfort. Just outside it are the remains of a well and a tumulus. By the 12th century, the Kingdom of Ailech had become embattled and lost a fair amount of territory to the invading Normans. According to Irish literature, the ringfort was mostly destroyed by Muirchertach Ua Briain, King of Muns ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ringfort
Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales and in Cornwall, where they are called rounds. Ringforts come in many sizes and may be made of stone or earth. Earthen ringforts would have been marked by a circular rampart (a bank and ditch), often with a stakewall. Both stone and earthen ringforts would generally have had at least one building inside. Distribution Ireland In Irish language sources they are known by a number of names: ' (anglicised ''rath'', also Welsh ''rath''), ' (anglicised ''lis''; cognate with Cornish '), ' (anglicised ''cashel''), ' (anglicised ''caher'' or ''cahir''; cognate with Welsh ', Cornish and Breton ') and ' (anglicised ''dun'' or ''doon''; cognate with Welsh and Cornish ').Edwards, Nancy. ''The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland''. Routledge, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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