Mound of the Hostages

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The Mound of the Hostages (Irish: Dumha na nGiall)[when?] is an ancient passage tomb located in the Tara-Skryne Valley in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland.

The mound is a Neolithic structure, built between 3000 BCE and 2500. It is circular in form, roughly fifteen metres in diameter and three metres high. It is built in the same style as the Newgrange tomb, although on a smaller and less awe-inspiring scale. The structure is dome-shaped with an inset for the entrance and a small doorway, set almost one metre into the side of the monument. The doorway is framed with undecorated standing stones. As is common in passage tombs, this alignment allows for the rising sun to shine down the passageway at only two times of the year, illuminating the chamber within. At this mound, the passage is illuminated on the mornings of Samhain and Imbolc,[1] at the beginning of November and February, respectively. Inside, the passage into the Mound of the Hostages stretches for four metres in length, one metre in width, and is 1.8 metres high. It contains decorated sillstones with images of swirls, circles, and x-patterns—designs associated with Mesolithic passage tomb art. Three compartments once housed buried remains.


Unlike some similar structures, there is no evidence of a ditch dug around the mound. The Mound is situated north of the King's seat and Cormac's house (teach Cormaic) and slightly south of the Rath of the Synods. The top of the mound is the highest point on the hill, and offers unrivalled views of the surrounding countryside.



Coordinates: 53°34′46″N 6°36′42″W﻿ / ﻿53.57944°N 6.61167°W﻿ / 53.57944; -6.61167