The prehistoric burial cairn that crowns the hilltop sits within what appears to be a much larger multivallate hillfort, a type of defensive structure with multiple rings of earthwork fortifications. From here, you can spot the summit of Mullaghmeen Hill and Lough Sheelin to the north, whilst the Hill of Mael with its own hilltop enclosure lies visible to the southwest.

The site’s defensive features become clearer when you examine the landscape closely. A curving hedgerow to the north of the cairn marks the partial remains of an inner enclosing bank, which the 1914 Ordnance Survey map shows as a roughly circular hilltop enclosure measuring about 58 metres north to south and 56 metres east to west. More intriguingly, there’s evidence of an even larger outer defensive element; scarping visible on the western and eastern slopes within the native woodland may be the remnants of ramparts from a substantial hillfort that once followed the natural contours of the hill.

This layering of archaeological features suggests the site held significance across multiple periods of prehistory. The burial cairn itself represents ancient funerary traditions, whilst the surrounding fortifications point to the hill’s strategic importance, perhaps as a defensive stronghold or territorial marker. The combination of ceremonial and defensive elements makes this one of Westmeath’s more intriguing archaeological complexes, compiled and documented by researcher Caimin O’Brien in September 2018.