Английская Википедия:Granard Motte

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Granard Motte is the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle and National Monument in Granard, County Longford, Ireland.

Location

Granard Motte (RMP LF010-080001) is located in the town of Granard, Шаблон:Convert west of Lough Kinale, overlooking the Inny valley. At an altitude of Шаблон:Convert it is the highest motte in Ireland

The earthworks lie about Шаблон:Convert to the southwest of Granard town on an elevated site with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

History

Granard motte earthworks were built c. 1199 by a Norman knight, Richard de Tuit. It was erected upon and within a pre-existing hillfort (LF010-080002-), and has associations with a local branch of the Ó Fearghail clan (Farrell).Шаблон:Rp

It appears that it was intended as a frontier castle on the NW border of the Anglo-Norman lordship of Meath and designed to suppress the O'Reilly's of S Breffny. In 1210 King John stayed here during his campaign against Hugh de Lacy.Шаблон:RpШаблон:Rp The site later became known as Rath Granard. According to Bradley, it is the most likely location of the inauguration site of the O'Farrells (Bán).Шаблон:RpШаблон:Rp One prominent member of the family, Sean Ó Fearghail, Chief of Annaly, is believed to have died here immediately after his inauguration in 1475 and was interred at Abbeylara nearby.Шаблон:Fact

The relatively level summit (Шаблон:Convert in the NNW-SSE direction; Шаблон:Convert in the ENE-WSW direction), is about Шаблон:Convert above the level of the bailey and also holds an OS trigonometrical station. In 1932 a statue of Saint Patrick was erected on top of the motte to mark the sesquimillennium of his mission to Ireland.Шаблон:Fact

Many myths are attached to the hollow within the motte: some say there is a castle concealed within it, or gold, or perhaps a grain store.Шаблон:Cn In May 2017 the motte came to nationwide attention when a large hole, about a metre in diameter, was found dug into the side of the mound. The damage required a survey by the National Monuments Service and repairs by the Office of Public Works.

Description

The Motte is a great flat-topped, circular earthen mound, on top of which would have been a timber tower surrounded by a palisade. Across the base was a U-shaped bailey: an enclosure surrounded by a palisade ditch. It is very strongly fortified except on the southern side, which seems to have been guarded solely by the deep trench on the summit. The sub circular mound is about Шаблон:Convert in height with a deep fosse at the northeastern side and a D-shaped bailey on the southwest side.

A grotto was built into the north side of the monument in 1925 in the course of which a large quantity of stone was removed (using explosives). From WSW-N-ENE the base of the motte is encircled by a wide, deep, steep-sided, rock-cut fosse (width: Шаблон:Convert; depth: Шаблон:Convert) with a wide, high, steep-sided external bank (width: Шаблон:Convert; height: Шаблон:Convert). The bailey is defined by the remains of an inner bank of earth and stone, a wide, deep, intervening fosse (width: Шаблон:Convert) and a wide, high outer bank (width: c. Шаблон:Convert; height: c. Шаблон:Convert). The fragmentary remains of a later castle are visible in the SE face of the motte. A medieval church and graveyard lie c. Шаблон:Convert to the north.Шаблон:RpШаблон:RpШаблон:RpШаблон:RpШаблон:Rp

Further reading

• Шаблон:Cite book