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DiScOvErInG HiStOrY 5. Where Celts lived


Many ancient Celtic sites have been excavated here in Ireland by archaeologists. As a result we know about the places in which the Celts lived. As the wealth of each person was determined by the number of cattle they owned it was important that people built homes to protect their livestock. There are three main types of homes or forts that have been found:


1. Ringforts


These were the most common type of fort. A ringfort is sometimes called a rath or a lios. A circular raised bank was built and a timber wall placed on top of the bank. A fosse (ditch) was dug around the bank for further protection from attack. In the west of Ireland these forts had stone walls instead of timber and are known as caiseal or cathar. A large ringfort was referred to as a dún.


Rath / Lios


Caiseal / Cathar Dún


Timber walls, e.g. Rathfarnham/ Rathdrum / Lismore


Stone walls, e.g. Cashel / Cahirciveen Large ringforts, e.g. Dundalk / Dunleer


2. Hillforts These forts were located on higher ground and were easier to defend. They had walls built on top of earthen banks around the houses as a defence against attack. Large stones were also placed in front of these banks to block any attackers on chariots. A good example of this kind of fort is the Hill of Tara in County Meath. Some hillforts were located beside cliffs and these are called promontory forts. The most impressive example of this in Ireland is the remains of the fort at Dún Aengus on the Aran Islands off the coast of County Galway. Dún Aengus and the Hill of Tara were very important Celtic sites. These two locations were mostly used for religious and political ceremonies rather than as dwellings.


3. Crannógs


These dwellings were very safe as they were located in the middle of a lake. Crannógs (from the Irish for a young tree) were built by bringing stones, rocks and pieces of timber to the middle of a lake and creating an island. Once the island was built, timber was used to construct a fort that could only be accessed by either a wooden bridge or a boat.


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Fig 3.11 The remains of the fort at Dún Aengus on the Aran Islands.


Fig 3.10 The Hill of Tara in County Meath: the fort here was used by the Celts for religious and political ceremonies.


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