<< Text Pages >> Rock of Dunamase - Hillfort in Ireland (Republic of) in Co. Laois
Submitted by Sunny100 on Monday, 08 November 2010 Page Views: 5058
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Rock of Dunamase Alternative Name: Fort of Dun MascCountry: Ireland (Republic of)
NOTE: This site is 1.873 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Co. Laois Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Portlaoise Nearest Village: Ballycarrol
Map Ref: S530982
Latitude: 53.032162N Longitude: 7.210741W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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The Rock of Dunamase (Dun Masc) is a Dark-Age hillfort that stands 150 feet (46 metres) above the flat Laois countryside near the N80 road between Portlaoise and Stradbally. There was some occupation in the time of St Patrick but it was in the 9th century CE that a Dark-Age fort was built on the top of the hill. Later, in the 12th century a Norman castle was built in it's place.
In the early 5th century CE Dunamase and the surrounding land was ruled by the chieftain Laois Ceannmor (he gave his name to the county). It's possible that St Patrick also visited the rock upon his arrival in Ireland about 432 CE. In the 9th century CE a fort or dun was built on it's summit by a chieftain called Masc or Masg. Nothing much remains of that fort. A Norman castle was built on the crown of the hill in the 12th century; the ruins there today are from a 15th century re-build.
In the 1990s the site was excavated and due to this the true dating of the site was established. It was also found that the fort had been attacked and destroyed by Vikings between 843-5. It is said to be one of the most historic sites in Ireland.
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Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.