Navan Fort
Navan Fort (Old Irish: Emaın Macha ([ˈeṽənʲ ˈṽaxə]), Modern Irish: Eamhain Mhacha ([ˈaw̃nʲ ˈw̃axə]) is an ancient monument in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to tradition it was one of the great royal sites of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland and the capital of the Ulaid. Severed heads of their enemies were said to be kept here. It is a large circular enclosure—marked by a bank and ditch—with a circular mound and the remains of a ring barrow in the middle. Archeological investigations show that there were once buildings on the site, including a huge roundhouse-like structure. The site is believed to have had a pagan ceremonial purpose. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, "the [Eamhain Mhacha] of myth and legend is a far grander and mysterious place than archeological excavation supports".
The name Eamhain Mhacha is thought to mean "the pair of Macha" or "the twins of Macha". 'Navan' is an anglicisation of the Irish An Eamhain.
Location and description
The site is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Navan, in Armagh City and District Council area. It is on a low hill about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) west of Armagh (at grid ref. area H847 452). The site consists of a circular enclosure 250 metres (820 ft) in diameter, marked by a bank and ditch. Oddly, the ditch is on the inside, suggesting it was not built for defence.
Podcasts:
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by Waylander
Emain Macha
by: WaylanderO'er the seven hills of Macha
In an age now passed by
Lived a people once forgotten
Beneath an ancient sky
For protection they had warriors
Unsurpassed on Eireann's shore
Warriors of the Craobh Rua
An eternal name in lore
The Ri he dwelt at Emain
And Ri of Uladh's land
And the people they had plenty
Under Are-Ri's mighty hand
Cruinneach in your aprogance
And boastfulness and pride
Evoking a curse
Upon your own kind
Curse of a woman!
Due to man's boastfulness
And the follyness of man
Man, may yet pay due
A curse I place on you
A curse I place on you
A weakness like a woman hear her time
Once in every cycle, Ulaidh's strenght
Will fail to shine, fail, fail to shine
Man may yet pay due
A curse I place on you
A curse I place on you
But in Ulaidh's hour of need
Mighty lugh did pay heed
He beget at son at Bru na Boinne
Under a stone of great tragedy
Setanta as a boy, as a boy, as a boy
Cu Chulainn, as a man, as a man, as a man
Standing alone against Connaught's might
One against all, the eternal fight
Champions they came
Champions they did fall
Standing alone
Cu chulainn, slew them all!
For the pride of Emain Macha, Emain Macha, Emain Macha
For the pride of Emain Macha, Emain Macha, Emain Macha
For the pride of Emain Macha, Emain Macha, Emain Macha