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Greenmount Motte

Coordinates: 53°52′41″N 6°23′09″W / 53.877999°N 6.385855°W / 53.877999; -6.385855
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Greenmount Motte
Móta Dhruim Chatha
Greenmount Motte is located in Ireland
Greenmount Motte
Shown within Ireland
LocationGreenmount, Castlebellingham,
County Louth, Ireland
RegionDee Valley
Coordinates53°52′41″N 6°23′09″W / 53.877999°N 6.385855°W / 53.877999; -6.385855
Typemotte
Area0.7 ha (1.7 acres)
Height12 metres (39 ft)
History
Materialearth
Founded12th/13th century
PeriodsNorman Ireland
CulturesCambro-Norman, Old English
Associated withNormans
Site notes
Excavation dates1830 and 1870
ArchaeologistsRev. Joseph Dullaghan, John Henry Lefroy
Public accessyes
Designation
Designations
Official nameGreenmount motte
Reference no.144

Greenmount Motte is a motte and National Monument in County Louth, Ireland.

Location

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Greenmount Motte is located 2.9 km (1.8 mi) west of Annagassan, overlooking the Dee Valley.

History and archaeology

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Motte-and-bailey castles were a primitive type of castle built after the Norman invasion, a mound of earth topped by a wooden palisade and tower.[1]

The motte at Greenmount was formerly known as Droim Chatha ("Battle Ridge", Anglicised Dromcath or Drumcath). A Nicholas of Drumcath (Nicholaus de Dromcath) is mentioned in a documents of 1310 and 1328.[2]

The foundations of an elongated chamber (1.5 × 1 m in size, 5.5 m below the summit) are visible in the bailey.[3]

A scabbard-mount with runic inscriptions (DOMNAL SELSHOFOTH A SOERTH THETA, "Domnal Seal's-head owned this sword") was found in excavation, but it believed to be long pre-Norman, indicating that the motte was constructed on the site of an earlier tumulus.[4][5] Also found were animal bones, charcoal, burnt earth, a bronze axe and a bone harp peg with friction marks.[6]

Greenmount was a camp ground for Catholic Irish forces in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. It was excavated in 1830, causing a cave-in, and again in 1870.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Geograph:: Callan Motte (C) dougf". Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Journal". 1 January 1874 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ McNeill, Tom (1 January 2000). Castles in Ireland: Feudal Power in a Gaelic World. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415228534 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, linguistics, and literature". Hodges, Figgis & Company. 1 January 1917 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Davidson, Hilda Roderick Ellis (1 January 1998). The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England: Its Archaeology and Literature. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. ISBN 9780851157160 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Zhulin, Denis Larionov & Alexander. "Read the eBook History of Kilsaran union of parishes in the County of Louth, being a history of the parishes of Kilsaran, Gernonstown, Stabannon, Manfieldstown, and Dromiskin, with many particulars relating to the by James B Leslie online for free (page 2 of 35)".