Mortlestown Hill

Also known as:
Cathair Murthuile
Nearest town:
Kilfinnane (2km NE)
OS reference:
R665218
OS sheet:
73
Latitude:
52° 20' 48.83 N
Longitude:
8° 29' 29.91 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Mortlestown Hill (Rath) by bawn79

The raised centre of the rath, with evidence of foundations etc

Image credit: Bawn79 © 2008
bawn79
bawn79 Jul 15, 2008
Image of Mortlestown Hill (Rath) by bawn79

You can really see the depth of the trench in this rath

Image credit: Bawn79 © 2008
bawn79
bawn79 Jul 15, 2008

Articles

Mortlestown Hill

bawn79
bawn79 Jul 15, 2008

Its funny this hill-fort is signposted from the road but when you get there, there isnt a path or anything. Ive since read that it is on private property and there is no access!
I stopped by a lane that leads to a farmyard which doesnt have a house attached to it.
It is only about 500m from the road.
The rath itself has great 360 views of the hills around it. The trench between the rings of the ring-fort are very deep and the middle part of the rath is raised up, probably to about 4-5 metres above the surrounding land which gives it a very commanding position.
What really interested me about the site was the reference in the folklore to it being a possible site of “Teamhair Luachra”.

Folklore

Mortlestown Hill
Rath
bawn79
bawn79 Jul 15, 2008

Taken from

ballyhoura.com/attractheritageframe2.htm

Cathair Murthuile Ringfort
Ringforts were farmsteads built in the Early Christian period (c. 500-1000 AD). They were agricultural centres, but also had a strong focus on craft. This fort location, on a hilltop, is an unusual location for a ringfort. The scale of the enclosing elements, and its location would indicate that this was a high status fort which was likely to have been more than a residential complex and may have some association with Ardpatrick which is visible from here on a hill top to the south. It has been suggested that this is the site of the old ‘Teamhair Luachra’ referred to in early Irish literature.

Sites within 20km of Mortlestown Hill

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