Rathcoran facts for kids

Rathcoran is a very old and important site located on top of Baltinglass Hill in County Wicklow, Ireland. It's actually two ancient structures in one: a passage grave, which was a burial place from thousands of years ago, and a hillfort, which was a fortified settlement. This special place is officially recognized as a National Monument of Ireland.

Where is Rathcoran Located?

Rathcoran sits high up on Baltinglass Hill. It's about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) east-northeast of the town of Baltinglass. From its spot, it looks out over the beautiful River Slaney valley.

A Look Back in Time: Rathcoran's History

Rathcoran has a long and fascinating history, going back thousands of years. It shows us how people lived and built things in ancient Ireland.

The Ancient Burial Site

The passage grave at Rathcoran is thought to be as old as Newgrange, another famous Irish monument. This means it was built between 3500 and 3000 BC. This time period is known as the Neolithic Age, or the New Stone Age.

Archaeologists explored the site in 1934–1936. They found evidence that at least three adults and one child were buried there. Their remains had been cremated, meaning they were burned. Small pieces of quartz were also found. These might have been used to decorate the tomb.

Other interesting finds included hazelnuts and wheat grains. A saddle quern, which is a stone used for grinding grains, was also discovered. These finds tell us about the climate back then. In the Neolithic Age, Ireland was warmer and drier. Farmers could grow crops even high up on the hills.

The Bronze Age Hillfort

Around 1000 BC, during the Bronze Age, a hillfort was built around the passage grave. This means people used the site for protection. There are five hillforts around Baltinglass, and Rathcoran is one of them.

The name "Rathcoran" comes from the Irish Ráth Cuaráin. This means "Cuarán's ringfort". However, some people think the original name might have been Ráth Charnáin, which means "ringfort of the cairn" (a pile of stones).

What Rathcoran Looks Like

Rathcoran is made up of two main parts: the passage grave and the hillfort.

The Passage Grave: An Ancient Tomb

The passage tomb is a large mound of stones called a cairn. It is about 27 meters (89 feet) wide. Inside and around this cairn, archaeologists found five different structures.

• A circle of large stones, called a kerb, surrounds the cairn. There's also an inner kerb. Some of these stones have ancient art carved into them.
• The main tomb is on the north side. It has a short passage, about 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) long. This passage leads to a round chamber, about 2 meters (6.6 feet) wide. This chamber has three small spaces and a stone basin with carved patterns.
• On the south side of the cairn, there's another tomb. It has a chamber divided into three parts, but no passage. Two of its stones also have ancient art.
• On the northwest side, there are remains of a small corbelled structure. This means it had a roof made of stones that stuck out like steps.
• A fifth chamber is located inside the kerb, to the east of the main tomb.

Things found at the site include the cremated bones of at least three adults and one child. They also found flint scrapers, pieces of Carrowkeel pottery, and bone pins. Underneath the cairn, they discovered a stone axe, a flint javelin-head, more scrapers, an egg-shaped stone, and carbonized wheat grains and hazelnuts. A saddle quern was also found within the cairn itself.

The Hillfort: A Fortified Home

The Rathcoran hillfort is at the very top of Baltinglass Hill. It surrounds the ancient cairn. People used stones from the cairn to help build the hillfort's protective walls.

This hillfort has a double rampart, which means it has two protective banks of earth and stone. It looks like they might have planned a third rampart, but it was never finished. The hillfort encloses an oval shape, about 400 meters (437 yards) at its widest point.