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Ranaghan

Ranaghan
Town
Hills of Ranaghan
Hills of Ranaghan
Ranaghan is located in Ireland
Ranaghan
Ranaghan
Location in Ireland
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Westmeath
Elevation
128 m (420 ft)
  merged with Castlepollard
Time zone UTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference N463640

Ranaghan is a townland and an important archaeological site. It is located in County Westmeath, Ireland.

Ranaghan: A Place of Ancient Forts

Ranaghan is found southwest of Lough Lene. It sits on high ground, which is why there are many ancient forts here. One of the most famous forts in the area is Randoon (also called Randún). It is located between the towns of Castlepollard and Collinstown. People believe that Turgesius, a famous Viking leader, once lived and ruled in this area.

What is a Ringfort?

Ringforts are special fortified settlements. They were built a long time ago, mostly during the Early Medieval Period in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. They are also known by different names in old Irish stories. These names include ráth, caiseal, cathair, and dún.

  • A ráth (pronounced "rah") was a fort made from earth. Ranaghan's name comes from this word!
  • Caiseal (pronounced "cash-el") and cathair (pronounced "cah-her") were forts built using stone. Caiseal was common in northwestern Ireland, and cathair in southwestern Ireland.
  • A dún was a more important site. It was usually the home of a local chief or ruler. The fort of Randoon/Randún is an example of a dún.

Finding Forts Around Lough Lene

It is hard to find very old maps or records from the Early Medieval Period in Ireland. This makes it tricky to know exactly when Irish ringforts were built. However, the areas around Lough Lene are full of these forts. Lough Lene means "fertile soil," and the land around it is very rich. This includes places like Collinstown, Glenidan, Comerstown, and Ranaghan. The many ringforts show that this area was important and had good land for farming long ago.

  • Collines 02 de Ranaghan

    Gillardstown: view to Ranagahan Hills

  • Ranaghan hills

    Overgrown ringforts, Ranaghan Hills

  • Collines de Ranaghan

    Gillardstown and Ranagahan Hills

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