Greenmount Motte facts for kids
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Móta Dhruim Chatha
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 Location in Ireland
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| Location | Greenmount, Castlebellingham, County Louth, Ireland |
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| Region | Dee Valley | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 53°52′41″N 6°23′09″W / 53.877999°N 6.385855°W | ||||||||||
| Type | motte | ||||||||||
| Area | 0.7 ha (1.7 acres) | ||||||||||
| Height | 12 metres (39 ft) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Material | earth | ||||||||||
| Founded | 12th/13th century | ||||||||||
| Periods | Norman Ireland | ||||||||||
| Cultures | Cambro-Norman, Old English | ||||||||||
| Associated with | Normans | ||||||||||
| Site notes | |||||||||||
| Excavation dates | 1830 and 1870 | ||||||||||
| Archaeologists | Rev. Joseph Dullaghan, John Henry Lefroy | ||||||||||
| Public access | yes | ||||||||||
| Designation |
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Greenmount Motte is an old Norman castle site in County Louth, Ireland. It is a special type of early castle called a "motte-and-bailey." Today, it is a protected National Monument, meaning it is an important historical place.
Contents
Where is Greenmount Motte?
Greenmount Motte is found about 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles) west of Annagassan. It sits on a hill overlooking the Dee Valley. This location was likely chosen because it offered a good view of the surrounding area.
History of Greenmount Motte
What is a Motte-and-Bailey Castle?
Motte-and-bailey castles were the first type of castles built by the Normans. They arrived in Ireland after the Norman invasion. These castles were quite simple to build. They had a large mound of earth, called a "motte." On top of this mound, there was a wooden fence, known as a palisade, and a wooden tower. Below the motte was a fenced-in area called a "bailey." This area often held homes and other buildings.
Greenmount's Norman Past
The motte at Greenmount was once known by an Irish name, Droim Chatha. This means "Battle Ridge." You might also see it spelled as Dromcath or Drumcath. Records from the early 1300s mention a person named Nicholas of Drumcath. This shows that the site was important even back then.
Discoveries from the Past
Archaeologists have found some interesting things at Greenmount Motte. For example, they found the foundations of a long room in the bailey area. This room was about 1.5 meters by 1 meter in size.
During excavations, a special part of a scabbard (a sword cover) was found. It had old writing called runes on it. The runes said: "Domnal Seal's-head owned this sword." Experts believe this scabbard is much older than the Norman castle. This suggests that the motte was built on top of an even older burial mound, called a tumulus.
Other finds at the site include:
- Animal bones
- Charcoal
- Burnt earth
- A bronze axe
- A bone harp peg with marks from being used
Later History and Excavations
Greenmount was also used as a camp during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. This was a big uprising by Catholic Irish forces.
The site has been dug up by archaeologists twice. The first time was in 1830, which unfortunately caused a small cave-in. It was excavated again in 1870. These digs helped us learn more about the history of Greenmount Motte.
