barnacahogue stone fort

Barnacahogue Stone Fort is located close to the runway at Knock International Airport. Situated within a ring of hills, this is a good example of small fortified enclosures which were used from the late Iron Age (AD 500). The remains of a wall, some 5ft thick and 50ft in diameter, encircle the flat summit. These walls would have contained thatched dwellings of mud and wattle and pens to safely herd livestock when there was danger from raiders. Stone forts are particularly common in Western Ireland where stone was more plentiful and where every inch of earth was needed for tillage.