Millmount is a large fortified complex situated on a great mound on the South bank of the

River Boyne The River Boyne ( or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows north-east through County Meath to reach the ...

located in

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The fort has played a crucial part in Drogheda's history and has been a dominant feature from Norman settlement, to Cromwell's invasion to the more recent Civil War in 1922, in which the famous Martello tower was shelled and all but destroyed. Today the complex houses the Millmount Museum which houses a wide variety of artifacts of local and national importance. The complex is Drogheda's most dominant feature, clearly visible from all parts of the town. The Martello tower is affectionately known as "The Cup and Saucer" by locals. The whole fort is a national monument and has been designated as Drogheda's Cultural Quarter.

History

It has been fortified in historical times since the early 12th Century CE when the invading Normans built a

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

on what was probably originally a

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

passage grave A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or stone and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age and are found largely in Western Europ ...

similar to

Newgrange Newgrange () is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, placed on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, west of the town of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3100 BC, makin ...

. In Irish cosmology, it is often assumed to be the burial place of Amhairgin mac Míled, whose name ("Amhair" = singing; "gin" = give birth) indicates that in ancient

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

he was regarded as the originator of the arts of song, poetry and music. The shamanistic Early Irish poem "The Song of Amhairgin", uttered by him in the story of his entry into Ireland by the

, was therefore conventionally regarded as the first Irish poem. Free state troops capture Millmount in Drogheda during the Civil war

Hugh De Lacy, one of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

who came to Ireland after Strongbow, built the original fort circa 1172, having been granted the

Kingdom of Meath Meath ( ; ; ) was a kingdom in Ireland from the 1st to the 12th century AD. Its name means "middle," denoting its location in the middle of the island. At its greatest extent, it included all of County Meath (which takes its name from the k ...

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

. Later a stone

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

was built on the site. This castle formed part of the defences of the town during the siege of Drogheda during the

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the Commonwealth of England, initially led by Oliver Cromwell. It forms part of the 1641 to 1652 Irish Confederate Wars, and wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three ...

in 1649. The fort's English defenders attempted to surrender to Parliamentarian troops under

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

but were massacred when they gave themselves up on 11 September 1649. The complex was later called Richmond Barracks. Some of the present buildings, in the courtyard, were built circa 1714. After the unrest and rebellions of the 1790s and the Act of Union in 1800 the complex was re-fortified and the present tower built. The fort suffered considerable damage during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

. It was occupied by Anti-Treaty forces and on 4 July 1922, it became the target of shelling by the army of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

. The Free State Forces under Michael Collins had been given extensive support by the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

at the express wish of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

who insisted that the Republican Forces be crushed. Using the same British Army 18-pounder artillery piece which had shelled the Republican H.Q. in the

Four Courts The Four Courts () is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the build ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

some days earlier the Free State Forces bombarded Millmount fort for several hours before the Republican garrison retreated. It has been restored in 2000 and is now open to the public as a military museum.

Museum

The Museum houses a wide variety of artifacts of local and national importance. Chief amongst the attractions is the unique collection of Guild and Trade Banners. This collection is recognised by Ireland's National Museum as being of special significance and includes the only remaining guild banners in Ireland. Popular exhibits at the Millmount Museum include an authentic 18th century Irish folk kitchen, dairy and laundry, and the Irish History Room which details the major events in Ireland's history.

List of structures

Gallery

File:Cannon at Millmount, Drogheda - geograph.org.uk - 1079092.jpg, Millmount Fort overlooks the town of Drogheda below File:Millmount, Drogheda - geograph.org.uk - 539717.jpg, Governor's House File:86th Regiment of Foot at Millmount - geograph.org.uk - 1079101.jpg, Reenactors ("86th Regiment of Foot") at the fort File:Royal Artillery at Millmount, Drogheda - geograph.org.uk - 1079120.jpg, Reenactors ("Royal Artillery") at Millmount File:Cannon fire at Millmount, Drogheda - geograph.org.uk - 1079077.jpg, Cannon fire at Millmount File:View of drogheda.jpg, View of Drogheda's south side File:Millmount Fort.jpg, Millmount Fort as viewed from the Visitor Centre

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Drogheda Museum Millmount websiteMill Mount Barracks, Barrack Street, LAGAVOOREN, Drogheda, LOUTH
Museums in County Louth Buildings and structures in Drogheda Towers completed in 1808 Military and war museums in the Republic of Ireland History museums in the Republic of Ireland