The Hill of Faughart

The most tangible feature on the hill is Old Faughart Church. This is a relatively small medieval church that probably began as a simple single-roomed stone church in around the 12th century, before an extension was added later in the medieval period to form it into a nave and chancel church. A small amount of archaeological excavation was carried out by Lil O’Connor in the 1960s to learn more about the church. The dig revealed that the church’s foundations rest on hard boulder clay, though a small part of the western wall rests on an occupation layer that had 11th–12th century pottery. This suggests that the stone church could be no earlier than the 12th century, though it may have replaced an earlier wooden structure as is relatively common with early Irish church sites.

Of all the rich historical associations the Hill of Faughart, it is its connection with Saint Brigid that remains the most celebrated today. The life and legacy of St Brigid of Kildare has spanned more than a millennium, crossing both continents and creeds. The woman who would become the female patron saint of Ireland was likely born sometime in the AD 450s or 460s (perhaps as early as the late 430s), with the annals indicating her death around AD 524.

Brigid was alive during a pivotal period in Irish history, as Christianity began to take hold in Ireland. Indeed, she was likely born into a pagan community, converting either as a child or teenager. Just as her life traversed a period of religious change, so too has her cult. Many associations and attributes linked her with the earlier goddess Brigit / Brigantia. One example is St Brigid’s feast day of 1 February, which falls on the same date as the pagan Imbolc festival which marks the beginning of Spring.

Another feature that served as one of the penitential stations is St Brigid’s Bed. This roughly horseshoe shaped bank has two large stones flanking a gap, appearing to form an entrance. This feature was examined by Lil O’Connor, who found a large black slab in the central area of the feature, with stones lining the inner face of the bank. It looks like it may be the foundational level of a small structure, possibly an oratory, clochán, or perhaps a small tomb shrine. The name ‘St Brigid’s Bed’, is similar to other relic shrines from the early medieval period like Leaba Cholmcille at Glencolmcille. It is intriguing to wonder if any of Brigid’s relics were once housed here.

A large granite slab and small marble plaque mark the site of one of the more notable people said to be buried in the quiet graveyard on the Hill of Faughart, Edward Bruce, the brother of the Scottish King Robert the Bruce, and claimant to the title High King of Ireland. Edward was killed at the Battle of Faughart that took place on the hill on the 14th October 1318. The battle was the culmination of the Bruce Invasion that began in 1315. Edward had led a Scottish army to Ireland in response to a request for aid by Domnall Ó Neill, and perhaps as a way to open another front in the long Scottish campaign against the English.

The three years of brutal warfare triggered by the Bruce Invasion amounts to the largest conflict in medieval Irish history. It proved a pivotal moment for medieval Ireland. Towns were sacked as rival armies laid waste to the large tracts of the island. This war devastated a society also reeling under the weight of the Great European Famine (1315-18). When the conflict finally came to an end an estimated 10-20% of the population had died.

The bloody Battle of Faughart was the final act of the war. Edward Bruce led his men through the Moyry Pass, only to be confronted by an Anglo-Irish army under the command of John de Bermingham and Edmund Butler. Rather than wait for support from his Irish allies, Edward rashly decided to go on the offensive and try to sweep his enemies from the field. It was to prove a fatal mistake. As described in an account in the broadly contemporary Lanercost Chronicle:

With Edward Bruce’s body being distributed, it is unknown how much, if any, of the Scottish leader is interred on the Hill of Faughart. But it is a compelling connection to one of the bloodiest and most harrowing episodes of Irish medieval history. Fin Dwyer discusses the Bruce Invasion and its aftermath in this Tuatha Talk, this recording is exclusively available for Tuatha Members.

A prominent earthen mound known as the Motte is located along the road, around 150m north-west of the graveyard. It occupies the summit of the hill, and consists of a steep-sided, but eroding, mound of earth that stands nearly 8m high. It is surrounded by a ditch, or fosse. 18th century maps show a stone octagonal-shaped building on the summit, that may hint that it was refortified during the turbulent 17th century. Mottes are typically classified as fortifications that were erected by the Anglo-Normans during their first incursions in the late-12th century. It may also represent an hastily erected fortification during the period of the Bruce Wars, as the Hill of Faughart saw much movement of forces throughout those campaigns, even before the great battle of 1318. Though it may have an even older story to tell. A souterrain was recorded at the base of the motte in the early 20th century. Could this be evidence that the site originated as a pre-Norman castle during the 11th or early 12th century? This idea was discussed by Prof. Tadhg O’Keeffe back in episode three of Amplify Archaeology Podcast.