Rock of Dunamase
The Rock of Dunamase ( Irish Dún Masc ) is one of the historic places in Ireland and is located near the national road 80 (N 80) about 6 kilometers east of the city of Port Laoise in County Laois . On the hill, which was a military zone for many years, lies a collection of ruins, some of which are over a thousand years old. The place was already known to Ptolemy , who named it Dunnum on his famous map from around 150 AD .
The hill rises about 150 m from an otherwise flat landscape and represents an ideal defensive position from which one can see as far as the Slieve Bloom Mountains . This was recognized by pre-Celtic settlers from the Bronze Age , who were probably the first to fortify it. They were followed by the Celts , among them the king of Leinster Laois Ceann Mór , who gave the county its name. The Vikings sacked the site in 845. In the 13th century it was given to the Norman Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , "Strongbow", as a gift from his son-in-law Diarmuid Mac Murrough .
The ruins of Mac Murrough Castle can still be seen on the hill, but there were some changes of ownership after the wedding. According to Strongbow, first the Anglo-Norman Mortimer family , then the descendants of Laois Ceann Mór , the O'Moores, were owners who made it a collection point. The O'Moore's extensively renovated the castle in the 15th century and successfully defended it for over a century until it was exiled to Kerry with the families of Fitzpatrick, O'Dempsey and O'Dunne . Ultimately, Oliver Cromwell captured the castle in 1650. The trenches of his troops are still visible today.
literature
- Brian J. Hodkinson, "A summary of recent work at the Rock of Dunamase, Co. Laois". In Kenyon, John R .; O'Conor, Kieran. The Medieval Castle in Ireland and Wales. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2003 ISBN 9781851827268 .
- Peter Harbison : Guide to the Naional Monuments in the Republic of Ireland Gill and Macmillan, Dublin 1992 ISBN 0-7171-1956-4 p. 139
- Brian J. Hodkinson, "The Sources for the History of Dunamase Castle". Laois Heritage Society Journal 2003 (1).
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 1 ′ 54 " N , 7 ° 12 ′ 37" W.