08.21.07
On the Significance of Lismullin – by Dr. Ronald Hicks
Drawing of Lismullin Amphitheater (click to enlarge)
Irish Times – Breaking news: ‘Tara Ruins Must Be Preserved – Report’
On the Significance of Lismullin
by Dr. Ronald Hicks, Department of Anthropology, Ball State University, Indiana
August 2007
The monument discovered earlier this year at Lismullin is, quite simply, unique. For that reason, if for no other, it should be preserved.
In order to assess the significance of the Lismullin site, it is necessary to consider it from several points of view. The first of these is in terms of its relationship to the Hill of Tara. The monument’s discovery underscores what archaeologists and historians have been saying for several years and therefore should have come as no surprise. The Tara ceremonial/ritual complex is not confined to the Hill of Tara but extends to several square kilometers of the surrounding landscape. This is perfectly typical of the places referred to in early Irish manuscripts as royal sites–Emain Macha, Cruachan, Dún Ailinne, and Tara. Each includes a hilltop surrounded by a much wider area–as much as 24 square kilometers–within which one finds a variety of monuments of a ceremonial or ritual nature. There are good reasons for assuming that the Tara ceremonial complex is roughly bounded by the Riverstown enclosure and a linear earthwork on the west, the Clonardran tumulus on the north, Rath Lugh and the Hill of Skreen on the east, and Rath Maeve on the south. It seems obvious that if some portions of such complexes qualify as National Monuments, then the complex as a whole should qualify since all components are integral parts.
As has been noted in the NRA’s initial report on the site at Lismullin (Deevy 2007), large timber structures have been identified at Dún Ailinne and Emain Macha as well. In the other cases, however, they have been found only on the hilltop itself and within the large earthen enclosures that are also typical of these sites. The monument at Lismullin is the only example so far known that is not in such a setting. It also differs in other ways. The most obvious is it’s size, roughly 80 m. in diameter, nearly double the size of the largest timber enclosure at the other sites.
Various investigators have suggested that the earthen enclosures at ritual sites may have served two purposes. One was to demarcate a sacred area. This carried over into early Christian times, when similar enclosures were to be found surrounding monastic sites. The second purpose was to serve as a seating or standing areas for spectators at rituals. At Dún Ailinne, however, that seems unlikely, since the embankment lies on the slopes of the hill, distinctly limiting the view. But that site provides us with an alternative possibility. In excavations carried out between 1968 and 1975, the excavator, Bernard Wailes, found that at the top of the hill, near the center of the earthen enclosure, a series of massive circular structures had been build in the early centuries of the Iron Age, each larger that its predecessor and the final version some 43 m in diameter. He felt that the pattern of posts within these was such that they could not have supported a roof. Instead, he suggested that they had served as the base for tiered seating (Wailes 2007: 14, 17).
This has direct relevance to the site at Lismullin. There is no trace of a surrounding bank and ditch delimiting the sacred area. Rather, the double line of stakeholes seems to have served that purpose. And while it is not inconceivable that they could also have supported seating, the site has another feature that appears much more likely to have served that purpose. As stated in Mary Deevy’s report, “The enclosure is situated at the centre of a natural geomorphological hollow surrounded by a ridge of higher ground which overlooks all sides of the monument, which in turn is surrounded by lower ground” (2007:2). In other words, the surrounding higher ground forms a natural amphitheater. Given the span between the double line of stakeholes and the inner circle and the lack of any pattern among the stakeholes between the two that suggests intermediate supports, it seems very unlikely that the outer circles supported the outer edge of a roof. Although there is no evidence for the height of the wall represented by the double line, it seems entirely possible, and even likely, that it was low enough to allow spectators on the surrounding ridge to view the ceremonies being conducted inside. Although such a natural amphitheater is not present at the other major royal sites, an example does exist at the inauguration site of Magh Adair in County Clare.
Thus we see at Lismullin a site that is part of a larger ritual complex that shares its National Monument status and that is, moreover, unique in several important characteristics—the size of the enclosure, its lack of a surrounding earthen bank and ditch, and its siting within a natural amphitheater not found at the other major royal sites. All of these would seem to qualify it for preservation in situ.
It is unfortunate that we know nothing of the type of ceremonies that took place in the Lismullin enclosure. We can only note that the entrance faces due east, the direction of sunrise at the equinoxes. Although the equinoxes and solstices were clearly of interest in ancient Ireland, as shown not only by the orientation of Newgrange but also of alignments found at later monuments, in early historic times more emphasis seems to have been placed on the cross-quarter dates lying midway between, near the beginnings of February, May, August, and November, which marked important transition points in the agricultural calendar. Any ceremonies are likely to have occurred at these times. Not only excavation, but also carefully noting the exact spatial relationship of Lismullin to the other monuments in the vicinity may provide further clues to its possible ritual role, as there is good reason to think that such sacred landscapes were carefully planned. This is yet another reason to preserve it in situ.
References Cited
Deevy, Mary
2007 Information on Investigations at Lismullin, Co. Meath. www.meath.ie/LocalAuthorities/Publications/HeritagePublications/File,7286,en.pdf.
Accessed 19 Aug 07.
Wailes, Bernard
2007 Excavation of the Summit Area. In Dún Ailinne: Excavations at an Irish Royal Site 1968-1975, edited by Susan A. Johnston & Bernard Wailes, pp. 9-25. Philadelphia: University Museum.
SEE ALSO: ‘Archaeological Method and Theory and the M3′ by Dr Ron Hicks