Ardagh Fort is a
ringfort (rath) and
National Monument in
County Limerick
"Remember Limerick"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province
, subd ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, famous as the discovery site of the
Ardagh Hoard
The Ardagh Hoard, best known for the Ardagh Chalice, is a hoard of metalwork from the 8th and 9th centuries. Found in 1868 by two young local boys, Jim Quin and Paddy Flanagan, it is now on display in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. ...
.
Location
Ardagh Fort is located immediately west of the crossroads at
Ardagh, atop a hill above sea level, overlooking the
Daar River.
History
The hillfort dates to the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, c. 1000 BC.
In late September 1868 two local boys, Jimmy Quin and Paddy Flanagan, were digging
potatoes at the southwest edge of the fort — farmers often avoided forts, believing them to be abodes of the
Aos Sí
' (; older form: ) is the Irish name for a supernatural race in Celtic mythology – spelled ''sìth'' by the Scots, but pronounced the same – comparable to fairies or elves. They are said to descend from either fallen angels or the ...
(fairies), but they may have chosen the site in the belief that it would protect against
potato blight
''Phytophthora infestans'' is an oomycete or water mold, a fungus-like microorganism that causes the serious potato and tomato disease known as late blight or potato blight. Early blight, caused by ''Alternaria solani'', is also often called "po ...
. There, they discovered the
Ardagh Hoard
The Ardagh Hoard, best known for the Ardagh Chalice, is a hoard of metalwork from the 8th and 9th centuries. Found in 1868 by two young local boys, Jim Quin and Paddy Flanagan, it is now on display in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. ...
: a beautiful silver and gold
chalice
A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning.
R ...
, a stemmed copper-alloy cup, and four brooches, all from the 8th or 9th centuries AD. There was also a wooden cross from the
Penal era: it bore the inscription "727", presumably short for "1727", and the goods may have been concealed c. 1740.
Catholic Mass
The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...
is said to have been said at the rath in the penal era.
Description
A rath with a high bank and deep ditch to the north and south; the east and west walls were never built. It covers .
See also
*
Ressad
References
Archaeological sites in County Limerick
National Monuments in County Limerick
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