Demailestown Fort, Demailestown, Co. Meath
Sitting atop a short ridge in Demailestown, County Meath, this ancient fort represents a fascinating example of early Irish defensive architecture.
Demailestown Fort, Demailestown, Co. Meath
The rectangular enclosure measures approximately 41 metres from west-northwest to east-southeast and 31.5 metres from north-northeast to south-southwest, encompassing a grass-covered area that would have once housed a thriving community. The site is defined by substantial earthen banks that rise about a metre high on the interior, with the southwestern bank being particularly impressive at 11 metres wide at its base.
What makes this fort particularly intriguing is its sophisticated defensive design, featuring wide outer moats that run alongside the earthen banks. These moats, which measure up to 7.5 metres across at the top on the southwestern side, would have provided an additional layer of protection for the inhabitants. The depth varies around the perimeter, reaching 1.3 metres on the interior of the southwestern moat. Field banks beyond these moats on the southern and western sides suggest the fort was integrated into a wider agricultural landscape, indicating this wasn’t just a defensive structure but part of a working farmstead.
The fort’s entrance, located towards the southern end of the eastern side, still shows traces of an ancient causeway that would have provided access across the defensive moat. Interestingly, the western side lacks an internal bank, possibly indicating different phases of construction or specific defensive considerations. Old grass-covered trenches and spoil mounds visible inside the eastern and southern banks are likely remnants of archaeological investigations, offering tantalising hints at what discoveries might have been made about the people who once called this fortified enclosure home.





