What is recorded here

Bellhill in County Offaly holds a double-banked enclosure, a low motte and the ruined base of a round tower, yet no visible church remains to explain them. Tradition attributes the foundation to St Kieran the Elder in the fifth century, while the later earthworks and possible gun turret suggest the site kept changing hands and purposes through the medieval period. What is absent is as striking as what survives: the priory, its canons and the small village of Shyre have left no standing monument, only a descriptor on a map and a rating nobody has given.

Unlocated possible medieval settlement associated with the Castle at Moystown (OF022-003001-) that is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters in 1541 (Cooke 1875, 335-7). 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.