Claidh Dubh, an Iron Age linear earthwork located in south-west Ireland.
One of a number of Irish
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
linear earthworks, the Claidh Dubh ('the black ditch', anglicised variously as Clyduff, Cleeduff) stretches in a generally north-south direction between west Munster (Iarmumu) and east Munster (
Ormond Ormond may refer to:
People
*Ormond (surname)
* Earl of Ormond (Ireland)
* Earl of Ormond (Scotland)
* Ormond Wilson (1907–1988), New Zealand politician
Places
Ireland
* Ormond (ancient Irish kingdom), in the province of Munster
* Two baronies ...
). Three sections survive, the longest stretching over twenty kilometers from the Ballyhoura Hills to the Nagle Mountains.
The exact function of each of the similar earthworks created in Iron Age Ireland remains uncertain, be they political partition or to prevent cattle raiding. Large gaps between surviving stretches may have utilised forestry which vanished in medieval times, but were as useful as man-made defences. William O'Brian (2012, p. 236) notes that the Cliadh Dubh marks the border between two different archaeological cultures.
See also
*
Black Pig's Dyke
The Black Pig's Dyke ( ga, Claí na Muice Duibhe) or Worm's Ditch ( ga, Claí na Péiste) is a series of discontinuous linear earthworks in southwest Ulster and northeast Connacht, Ireland. Remnants can be found in north County Leitrim, north C ...
*
Dorsey, County Armagh
Dorsey or Dorsy () is a small village and townland between Belleeks and Cullyhanna in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It has an estimated population of 130-160 people and includes about 30-35 houses.
'Dorsey ramparts'
Dorsey Walls meet ...
*
The Knockans
The Knockans is an Iron Age linear earthwork located in south-west Ireland, believed to be the site of the ancient Tailteann Games.
One of a number of Irish Iron Age linear earthworks, the Knockans is a double-banked monument partly destroye ...
References
* https://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/IRON_AGE_IRELAND_Project_16365_PilotWeb.pdf
* https://www.amazon.com/Iverni-Prehistory-Cork-William-OBrien/dp/1848891490
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cliadh Dubh
Ancient dikes
Prehistoric sites in Ireland
Archaeological sites in County Cavan
Archaeological sites in County Monaghan
Archaeological sites in County Leitrim
Archaeological sites in County Longford
Archaeological sites in County Fermanagh
Linear earthworks