Navan Fort

#351 among destinations in the United Kingdom

Top attraction, Museum, History museum

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Facts and practical information

Navan Fort is an ancient ceremonial monument near Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to tradition it was one of the great royal sites of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland and the capital of the Ulaidh. It is a large circular hilltop enclosure—marked by a bank and ditch—inside which is a circular mound and the remains of a ring barrow. Archeological investigations show that there were once buildings on the site, including a huge roundhouse-like structure that has been likened to a temple. In a ritual act, this timber structure was filled with stones, deliberately burnt down and then covered with earth to create the mound which stands today. It is believed that Navan was a pagan ceremonial site and was regarded as a sacred space. It features prominently in Irish mythology, especially in the tales of the Ulster Cycle. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, "the of myth and legend is a far grander and mysterious place than archeological excavation supports". ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 54°20'53"N, 6°41'53"W

Location

Northern IrelandUnited Kingdom

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Day trips

Navan Fort – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: St Patrick's Cathedral, Archbishop's Palace, St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh County Museum.

1.6 miE
Sacred and religious sites, Church, Gothic Revival architecture
St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh
41 min walk • St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Northern Ireland is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland. It was built in various phases between 1840 and 1904 to serve as the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Armagh, the original Medieval Cathedral of St.
2 miE
Palace, Georgian architecture
Archbishop's Palace, Armagh
51 min walk • The Archbishop's Palace, Armagh, Northern Ireland, is a landmark Neo-Classical building located on 300 acres of parkland just south of the centre of the city.
1.7 miE
Stone-built Anglican cathedral and mosaics
St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh
44 min walk • St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh is a cathedral located in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The origins of the site are as a 5th century Irish stone monastery, founded by St. Patrick.
2 miE
History museum, Museum, Art museum
Armagh County Museum, Armagh
51 min walk • The Armagh County Museum is a museum in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Located on the edge of the tree-lined Mall in the centre of Armagh city, the museum is the oldest County Museum in Ireland and was officially opened in 1937.
1.9 miE
History museum, Museum
Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, Armagh
48 min walk • The Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum is a military museum based in Sovereign's House at Armagh, Northern Ireland. The museum is a Grade B listed building.
2 miE
Observatories and planetariums, Museum, Science museum
Armagh Planetarium, Armagh
52 min walk • Armagh Planetarium is a planetarium located in Armagh, Northern Ireland close to the city centre and neighbouring Armagh Observatory in approximately fourteen acres of landscaped grounds known as the Armagh Astropark.
5.2 miW
Monastery
Tynan Abbey
133 min walk • Tynan Abbey in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, was a large neo-gothic-romantic country house built c. 1750 and situated outside the village of Tynan.
2 miE
Observatories and planetariums
Armagh Observatory, Armagh
51 min walk • Armagh Observatory is an astronomical research institute in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Around 25 astronomers are based at the observatory, studying stellar astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy and Earth's climate.
2 miE
Museum
HM Prison Armagh, Armagh
52 min walk • Armagh Prison in Armagh, Northern Ireland, is a former prison. The construction of the prison began in the 1780 and it was extended in the style of Pentonville Prison in the 1840 and 1850s.
2 miE
Historical place, Universities and schools
The Royal School, Armagh
53 min walk • The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school, founded in the 17th century, in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. It has a boarding department with an international intake. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
1.8 miE
Visitor center
Armagh Courthouse, Armagh
47 min walk • Armagh Courthouse is a judicial facility in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The courthouse, which accommodates hearings for the local magistrates' courts and county courts, is a Grade A listed building.