The Hill of Slane
The Hill of Slane in County Meath is steeped in Irish myth, legend and history. The site is positioned on the top of a hill that rises to nearly 160 metres (525 feet) and offers commanding views across the rich historical landscape of County Meath. This elevated position has long made the Hill of Slane a place of strategic importance. The range of archaeological monuments, dating from the Bronze Age to the later-medieval period that can still be seen on the summit today, are testament to it being a place of significance for millennia. According to Irish mythology, this was the burial place of Sláine mac Dela. He was the King of the legendary Fir Bolg, and was buried here at Dumha Sláine, giving the site its modern name.
In recent years, Dr Conor Brady and the Hill of Slane Archaeological Project have sought to examine the story of the site, through a process of geophysical and topographical surveys and historical analysis. You can find their website here. So far, the earliest features identified on the Hill include a large enclosure and a prehistoric barrow, a type of burial monument surrounded by a circular ditch, that typically dates to the Bronze or Iron Age.
A large motte also stands outside the main enclosure and graveyard, on private (inaccessible) land within a tree plantation. This demonstrates the strategic importance of the hill with its panoramic views. The motte is believed to have been raised during the early phase of the Anglo-Norman incursions into Ireland. The Song of Dermot and the Earl features a motte castle at Slane. This was destroyed, and its garrison massacred, in 1176 by Maol Sheachlainn Ó Lochlainn, king of Cinéal Eóghain in the Annals of Ulster.
‘The castle of Slane, wherein was Ricard Fleming with his host, wherefrom the Airgialla and Ui-Briuin and Fir-Midhe were being pillaged, was destroyed by Mael-Sechlainn, son of Mac Lochlainn, king of Cenel-Eogain and by the Cenel-Eogain themselves and by the Airgialla; where were killed one hundred or more of the Foreigners, besides women and children and the horses of the castle that were killed, so that no person escaped alive out of the castle.’
Though this motte on the Hill of Slane has not as yet been archaeologically investigated to establish when it was first constructed. It may well be the motte referred to in the Song of Dermot and the Earl, or that motte may have once stood where Slane Castle stands today. This motte on the hill may be a rare example of a ‘pre-Norman’ motte, raised by an Irish king or noble as a place of inauguration and ceremony.
This theory of pre-Norman mottes has been suggested by Professor Tadhg O’Keeffe (UCD), who has postulated that before the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, the Irish elite had already been influenced and began to adopt European styles of architecture and culture. As seen in the proliferation of Romanesque style churches like at Cormac’s Chapel, Kilmalkedar or Killeshin. If the Irish elite are willing and eager to commission European style ecclesiastical buildings as a symbol of their power and prestige, could they also have adopted the Northern-European, largely French, style of earthen castle building? Perhaps the most famous of these ‘Irish mottes’ – steep sided earthen mounds – can be seen at the Forradh on the Hill of Tara, very close to the Hill of Slane. This motte on the Hill of Slane may well prove to be Anglo-Norman, but only archaeological investigation could give a definitive answer. To hear a discussion on this subject between Neil and Tadhg check out this episode of Amplify Archaeology Podcast.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
The Hill of Slane in County Meath is steeped in Irish myth, legend and history. The site is positioned on the top of a hill that rises to nearly 160 metres (525 feet) and offers commanding views across the rich historical landscape of County Meath. This elevated position has long made the Hill of Slane a place of strategic importance. The range of archaeological monuments, dating from the Bronze Age to the later-medieval period that can still be seen on the summit today, are testament to it being a place of significance for millennia. According to Irish mythology, this was the burial place of Sláine mac Dela. He was the King of the legendary Fir Bolg, and was buried here at Dumha Sláine, giving the site its modern name.
In recent years, Dr Conor Brady and the Hill of Slane Archaeological Project have sought to examine the story of the site, through a process of geophysical and topographical surveys and historical analysis. You can find their website here. So far, the earliest features identified on the Hill include a large enclosure and a prehistoric barrow, a type of burial monument surrounded by a circular ditch, that typically dates to the Bronze or Iron Age.
A large motte also stands outside the main enclosure and graveyard, on private (inaccessible) land within a tree plantation. This demonstrates the strategic importance of the hill with its panoramic views. The motte is believed to have been raised during the early phase of the Anglo-Norman incursions into Ireland. The Song of Dermot and the Earl features a motte castle at Slane. This was destroyed, and its garrison massacred, in 1176 by Maol Sheachlainn Ó Lochlainn, king of Cinéal Eóghain in the Annals of Ulster.
‘The castle of Slane, wherein was Ricard Fleming with his host, wherefrom the Airgialla and Ui-Briuin and Fir-Midhe were being pillaged, was destroyed by Mael-Sechlainn, son of Mac Lochlainn, king of Cenel-Eogain and by the Cenel-Eogain themselves and by the Airgialla; where were killed one hundred or more of the Foreigners, besides women and children and the horses of the castle that were killed, so that no person escaped alive out of the castle.’
Though this motte on the Hill of Slane has not as yet been archaeologically investigated to establish when it was first constructed. It may well be the motte referred to in the Song of Dermot and the Earl, or that motte may have once stood where Slane Castle stands today. This motte on the hill may be a rare example of a ‘pre-Norman’ motte, raised by an Irish king or noble as a place of inauguration and ceremony.
This theory of pre-Norman mottes has been suggested by Professor Tadhg O’Keeffe (UCD), who has postulated that before the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, the Irish elite had already been influenced and began to adopt European styles of architecture and culture. As seen in the proliferation of Romanesque style churches like at Cormac’s Chapel, Kilmalkedar or Killeshin.
If the Irish elite are willing and eager to commission European style ecclesiastical buildings as a symbol of their power and prestige, could they also have adopted the Northern-European, largely French, style of earthen castle building? Perhaps the most famous of these ‘Irish mottes’ – steep sided earthen mounds – can be seen at the Forradh on the Hill of Tara, very close to the Hill of Slane. This motte on the Hill of Slane may well prove to be Anglo-Norman, but only archaeological investigation could give a definitive answer. To hear a discussion on this subject between Neil and Tadhg check out this episode of Amplify Archaeology Podcast.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Aerial view of the Hill of Slane • Meath
St Patrick Lights the Paschal Fire on the Hill of Slane
Statue of St Patrick on the Hill of Slane • Meath
According to legend, in AD 433, arrived on the Hill of Slane with an intention to challenge the old beliefs and to assert his Christian faith. The main pagan festivals of the time were Imbolg marking the beginning of Spring, Bealtine marking the beginning of summer, the harvest festival of Lughnasa and Samhain marking the beginning of winter. Of these festivals, the rituals surrounding Bealtaine were of particular significance. All the fires across the country would be extinguished to mark the end of the winter, and a great fire that could be seen for miles around would then be lit at dawn on the Hill of Tara, symbolising the dawn of a new year.
The tale describes how Patrick sought to hijack the event when he lit a huge fire on the Hill of Slane on Easter Eve, known as the Pachal Fire. It burned throughout the night before the King’s warriors managed to capture Patrick. They hauled him back to Tara to answer to King Laoghaire. Legend has it that Patrick managed to perform many feats and miracles to prove to the King that the Christian God was far more powerful than the old Gods. In one of the most famous of the stories that surround Patrick, it is said that he used a three-leaved shamrock to explain the mysteries of Christianity to the King, giving rise to one of Ireland’s most renowned symbols and stories. While the King had no wish to convert to Christianity himself, he was convinced enough to allow Patrick to continue on his mission to spread Christianity across Ireland.
Though the stories of Patrick at Slane are likely to be the product of later hagiographic legend, the Hill of Slane was undoubtedly important to the early Irish Church. A monastery was founded on the hill by St Erc who died in AD 514. Slane is mentioned a number of times in the Annals of Ireland as an important centre of early Irish law, and it is noted for a number of Viking raids. Perhaps most significantly, the Annals of Ulster record in AD 948 that the ‘abbot of Slane was taken prisoner and died in pagan hands’. Two years later, the Annals recorded that:
Statue of St Patrick on the Hill of Slane • Meath
‘The bell-house of Sláine was burned by the foreigners of Áth Cliath. The founder’s episcopal staff, and the best of all bells, the lector Caenachair and a large number with him, were all burned.’
Though little remains to be seen above ground of the early monastery, you can see the remains of two large triangular-shaped stones, that are stood upright and leaning slightly inwardly towards each other. This may be the remains of a tomb-shrine that once housed the relics of St Erc. A round tower and at least one high cross also stood on the site. The Annals of the Four Masters and the Annals of Ulster both record the destruction of the round tower in a raid by the Dublin Vikings in AD c.948. Fragments of a broken high cross that reputedly once stood on the Hill of Slane have been recorded in the village by the antiquarian Thomas Westropp, though their current location is unknown. Peter Harbison also recorded a fragment that was discovered during conservation works, the piece had been recycled as building material within the medieval church. It has now been removed to safety off site.
The graveyard itself has likely been in use since the monastery was first founded, and you can see a number of unmarked headstones that possibly date to the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The graveyard is still in use today, with the remains of today’s community mingling with those who went before them millennia ago.
St Patrick’s Church and the college are the most substantial remains that a visitor will encounter on the Hill of Slane. The church may have origins dating to as early as the 10th century. Like many of our medieval churches, it is probable that this church stands on the site of an earlier wooden church (known as a dairthech) that formed the focus of the early monastery. There is a reference in the Annals of Ulster that the ‘oratory of Slane fell down’ in 1028. This may have been the event that led to the construction of the stone church. The church appears to have been largely reconstructed in the 13th century, showing an ongoing tradition of adaption, alteration and reuse as the church was reimagined to better suit its contemporary community. St Patrick’s Church served as Slane’s parish church until the early 18th century. The church has a fine bell tower with a large gothic window. Look up and try to spot the stone head leering from above the windows of the tower on one side of the church.
The substantial three storey structure is likely to have been used a centre for parish duties and as a home for the priest. It was extended with the addition of a chantry college. The college served the church and housed four priests, four choristers and four lay-brothers. It was constructed around an open quadrangle, with the priests quarters on the northern side. Explore some of the original features like the staircases (taking extreme care in wet-weather), and fireplaces, window mouldings and a double garderobe. It was constructed in the Tudor Period, following a bequest by Sir Christopher Fleming, Baron of Slane. Other interesting architectural fragments to note in the college include decorative Tudor roses, along with the coat of arms of the King of England and France above the entrance (on the outside of the door), the Fleming coat of arms being fired from a large cannon or mortar, and most enigmatically, an interesting depiction of a dragon.
The Hill of Slane appears alongside the Hill of Tara, Newgrange, Bective Abbey and many more marvellous places to explore in our Boyne Valley road trip itinerary. Available exclusively for members here.
Upper left: the ruins of the church • Lower left: the tomb shrine of St Erc • Right: an unusual depiction of a dragon
Top: the ruins of the church • Middle: an unusual depiction of a dragon • Bottom: the tomb shrine of St Erc
Hill of Slane Visitor Information
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