Mound, Glasbolie, Co. Donegal

Co. Donegal |

Ritual/Ceremonial

Mound, Glasbolie, Co. Donegal

In the northeastern corner of a hilltop enclosure in Glasbolie, County Donegal, sits an intriguing earthen mound that rises approximately five metres high on its eastern side.

The mound marks a spot where the ground level naturally shifts within the ancient enclosure, creating a distinctive landscape feature that has captured local imagination for centuries.

According to local tradition recorded by historian Lacy in 1833, this site holds particular significance as the supposed burial place of a king of Tír Chonaill, the old Gaelic kingdom that once encompassed much of what is now County Donegal. Whether this royal connection has any historical basis remains uncertain, but such oral traditions often preserve fragments of genuine historical memory, even when embellished over time.

The mound forms part of a larger hilltop enclosure complex, catalogued as DG103-017001 in archaeological records. These types of elevated enclosures were common throughout ancient Ireland, serving various purposes from defensive settlements to ceremonial sites. The prominence of this particular mound within the enclosure, combined with its enduring place in local folklore, suggests it held special importance for the communities who built and used these structures.

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Lacy, B. with Cody, E., Cotter, C., Cuppage, J., Dunne, N., Hurley, V., O’Rahilly, C., Walsh, P. and Ó Nualláin, S. 1983 Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century A.D. Lifford. Donegal County Council.

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