Earthwork, Grange More, Co. Westmeath

Co. Westmeath |

Ritual/Ceremonial

Earthwork, Grange More, Co. Westmeath

In a grassland field in Grange More, County Westmeath, something circular lies just below the surface of the ordinary.

It does not announce itself with upstanding walls or dramatic earthen banks. Instead, it reveals itself as a scarp, a subtle change in ground level tracing the outline of a roughly circular area approximately twenty-eight metres across, visible in aerial photography rather than easily legible on foot.

The feature sits immediately south-east of a stream that marks the townland boundary with Craddanstown, a quietly significant position. Boundaries, both natural and man-made, have long attracted settlement and ritual activity in the Irish landscape, and the proximity of this earthwork to a watercourse boundary hints at a past in which such edges mattered. Seventy-five metres to the south lies a confirmed ringfort, the kind of enclosed farmstead, typically defined by one or more circular earthen banks and ditches, that was the dominant form of rural settlement in early medieval Ireland. Whether the Grange More earthwork is related to that ringfort, predates it, or served some other function entirely remains an open question. Its shape and scale are consistent with features of early historic or prehistoric origin, but the scarp alone does not settle the matter.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Earthwork, Grange More, Co. Westmeath. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement