1. Knock Iveagh Cairn

2. Era of Magennis chiefs and Viscounts of Iveagh

3. Archaeological work and interest

4. References

Knock Iveagh is a hill in the vicinity of Rathfriland, County Down, Northern Ireland.

Knock Iveagh Cairn

A cairn – a large stone mound covered by earth, used as an ancient burial chamber – is situated on the hill. The cairn is thought to date from around 4000BC.^[1] It is one of 1,900 scheduled monuments protected by legislation, specifically the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (NI) Order 1995, which makes it an offence to carry out changes to without consent.^[2]

Era of Magennis chiefs and Viscounts of Iveagh

The hill is the acknowledged ancestral seat of the Magennis chiefs and the Viscounts of Iveagh.^[1][3] Leaders were believed to have been inaugurated on its summit.^[4]

The hill sits in the context of a ritual landscape, including other sites and artefacts of importance to the Magennis. These include:

• An unscheduled, late Medieval church used by the Magennis family, the location of which is listed as ‘unknown’^[5] but which was recorded by local historians from Annaclone Historical Society in 2010.^[4]
• The Magennis castle stronghold in Rathfriland.^[4]
• A previously unidentified stone which is thought may have been used to inaugurate the Magennis of Iveagh.^[4]

Gavin Hughes of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Trinity College Dublin, has said of the hill and its place within the wider ritual landscape of the area: "Knock Iveagh appears to be a dominating feature in an exciting amphitheatre of multi-period archaeology which deserves proper and further detailed research. Indeed, such a complex historical continuity in the landscape is very rare – and this could be unique."

Archaeological work and interest

There is thought to have been little archaeological excavation or surveying work carried out on the hill, save for the work Pat Collins of the Northern Ireland Archaeological Survey in 1957.^[4][6] Eamonn Kelly, former Keeper of Antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland has called for further surveying to be carried out prior to any potential development in the vicinity of the hill, "given the strong probability that there is additional and possible extensive archaeology present relating to the ritual use of the hill (and possibly with booleying activities)".^[4]

Knock Iveagh featured on Joe Mahon's Lesser Spotted Ulster series (Annaclone episode) on UTV in 2014.

Preliminary archaeological work carried out in 2018 has suggested that there may be a link between the hill and St Patrick.^[7]

References

• Nuestra Señora de Guia Academy
• Nuestra Señora de Guía
• Nuestra Señora Dela Annunciata Church
• Nuestra Señora de la Annunciata Church
• Nuestra Señora Dela Annunciata Church (Antipolo)
• Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Bujalance
• Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Bujalance)
• Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Colmenar Viejo
• Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Meco
• Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Valdemoro
• Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
• Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Punta del Este
• Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Cainta
• Nuestra Señora de la Merced y San Judas Tadeo, Montevideo
• Nuestra Señora de la Natividad Parish
• Nuestra Señora de la Natividad Parish Church
• Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia
• Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad
• Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
• Nuestra Señora dela Soledad de Porta Vaga
• Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga
• Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña
• Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Aguada, Montevideo
• Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Cordón, Montevideo
• Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Salto