It will be interesting to see what implications, if any, the current archaeological investigation of Millmount will have for the martello tower on top of the mound, and public safety in the area. If it turns out that Millmount is a passage-tomb like Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, it would most likely have at least one passage and chamber, and possibly more. Dowth has two chambers and Knowth also has two, and both also contain a series of underground tunnels called souterrains. I know it is too early in the investigation to know whether it is a passage-tomb or not, but the distinct possibility that thats the case raises some interesting questions about the ongoing use, and safety of, the martello tower. The tower was reconstructed in 1999 to how it looked before it was shelled by pro-treaty forces during the civil war in 1922. It creates a lot of weight on top of the mound. If that mound is found to have at least one or several large cavities/chambers, one would imagine that some assessment of the load-bearing capabilities of the mound would need to take place, with special cognizance of any new data which the archaeological investigation might throw up. Could we envisage the spectacle of the removal of the martello tower at some stage in the future? The tower was constructed in 1808 when Drogheda was a garrison town. Millmount and its outbuildings were the barracks for the British army. The tower is two centuries old. The mound is possibly five millennia old. Folklore suggests that Millmount is the burial place of the Milesian bard Amergin, who legend says arrived at the Boyne Estuary with his brothers in the Bronze Age. They came here, according to legend, to take Ireland from the Tuatha Dé Danann, a task they were successful in. It is suggested locally that Millmount is in fact a passage-tomb and part of the Brú na Bóinne monument complex along with Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. If that is the case, it would date back to the Neolithic. Its exciting to think that there might come a time when Millmount is being dug by archaeologists in search of passages and chambers. Might it have huge decorated stones like those at Knowth and Newgrange? But lets not lose the run of ourselves! At this moment in time, the only thing thats accepted as fact by historians is that Millmount was originally built by the Normans when they came to Drogheda in the 12th century. Beyond that, we are only guessing. The archaeologists currently probing Millmount may yet reveal a much more ancient genesis for the mound . . . I will certainly be watching the programme of archaeological investigation with great interest.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:33:57 +0000
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