Navan Fort, or in Irish Emain Macha, would be just another hill in the rolling landscape west or the City of Armagh – if it weren't for some signposts and a smallish parking area. Whoever passes through the backroads below the hill would miss it without these (or intimate local knowledge). And miss one of the most important centres of power and culture in pre-historic Ireland.
Where to Find Navan Fort
The site is in the townland of Navan (hence the name), part of the modern Armagh City and District Council area - on a hill a kilometres west of the City of Armagh. Signposting will lead you to the adjoining Navan Centre, a museum complex. You may also drive directly to the hillside on small roads, entrance to the site is free and unrestricted.
The Story of Navan Fort
Irish legends, foremost the “Ulster Cycle”, tell of a major centre of power in (what today is) County Armagh - the capital of the Ulaidh. Misleadingly called “Navan Fort” (it is nowhere near modern Navan in County Meath, near the no less important Hill of Tara, and it might never have been a fort), it is also known as Emain Macha, literally "Macha's Twins". Named after the children the goddess Macha gave birth to while competing in a race.
Macha reputedly founded Navan Fort somewhere around the sixth century BC and legendary Ulaidh (Ulster) king Conchobar mac Nessa is supposed to have held court here. The famed Red Branch, a group of mighty warriors, is said to have made Navan Fort its home as well, so the poet Amergin, the druid Cathbad the poet, the beautiful Deirdre of the Sorrows and even Cuchulainn and Emer would have lived here (...provided they ever lived).
The “Annals of the Four Masters” state that Navan Fort was burned by enemies of Ulster in 331 and then abandoned.
What You Will See at Navan Fort
Provided you do not visit the Navan Centre, you will see ... a hill with some landscaped features. These are all that remain: A circular enclosure of around 250 metres diameter, with a surrounding bank and ditch. As the ditch is inside the bank, defensive purposes of the site are negligible.
Inside the enclosure one can still see two monuments. To the north-west a mound of earth, diameter 40 and height six metres. To the south-east a (faint, ploughed-down) ring-barrow, of 30 metres diameter.
The Archaeology of Navan Fort
The more important site seems to be the north-western mound. This dates from around 95 BC (as the bank and ditch seem to) and would have been a circular building with a central oak post and four concentric rings of posts around it. The entrance seems to have been facing west (which in itself is unusual) and the floor inside was paved with stones in a circular arrangement. After being so painstakingly built ... the whole structure was then burnt down and covered with earth. Not as a aggressive act of war, but more as a deliberate action by the builders. For what reason remains unknown.
The ring-barrow also hides remains of a figure-of-eight shaped wooden building, apparently rebuilt twice.
Traces of inhabitants dating back maybe up to 6,000 years have been found at Navan Fort ... and a rather puzzling skull of a Barbary Macaque that seems to be around 2,500 years old. This would point towards some sort of contact with North Africa in the Bronze Age ...
How Best to Experience Navan Fort
Alone and on a sunny, clear day ... but you cannot always have this. Fortunately the site of Emain Macha is rarely crowded and visitors usually have space to move and enjoy. Climbing the hill is easy (though mobility impaired visitors would definitely need help) and the top of the mound is also ideal for a picnic.
From the mound let your gaze take in the surrounding area. At least you will see the gentle countryside of Armagh, a few farms and some buildings in the distance. Amongst these both cathedrals in the City of Armagh can be spotted, the Catholic one being the easier.
If you are prone to flights of fancy, you might also imagine yourself at a crossing of ley lines ... at least one seems discernible stretching from the Church of Ireland cathedral straight through the mound towards another church tower on the horizon.
