What is recorded here

Bellhill in County Offaly holds a double-banked enclosure, a low motte and the stub of a round tower, all belonging to a priory that tradition credits to St Kieran the Elder in the fifth century. By 1568 the canons had shrunk to a thatched stone house, six cottages and forty acres, yet the earthworks still carry the shape of a place repeatedly rebuilt, claimed and reused. Walking its perimeter is an act of patience: each bank, ditch and faint footprint asks you to hold several centuries at once instead of reducing them to a single date.

Unlocated medieval settlement in the vicinity of 'Kildownbrennan Graveyard' (OF019-005----) (Comerford 1883, 136). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.