Navan Fort

Navan Fort & Visitor Centre, Armagh, County Armagh

Navan Fort (Eamain Macha) is a prehistoric site, based in the west of County Armagh. The location is approximately 2.6 km from Armagh and was built in the Bronze Age. This was once the royal seat of the Kings of Ulster and the ancient capital of Ireland. It is one of Ireland’s most famous archaeological sites and according to folklore is one of the great royal sites of pagan sanctuary. Eamain Macha from where Navan Fort gets its name was a Queen or goddess associated with the Red Branch Knights.

Navan Fort consists of a large circular mound of earth surrounding the remnants of a ring barrow in the middle. According to archaeologists, there were structures on the site including a roundhouse construction. From the top of the hill on a clear day the view is striking. The other provincial sites identified as regional capitals in the area were Tara, Knockaulin and Cruchan.

It is believed that Brian Boru (Bryan Boru) camped here at this location in 1005 while on route to Saint Patricks Cathedral in Armagh where he presented gifts to the alter. It was here that the Great Hero Cu Chulainn spent much of his youth before facing the army of Queen Maeve from the Kingdom of Connacht.

Navan Fort and Visitors Centre are open all year round and exhibitions are multilingual. Learn about the mystical character associated with the Fort and take a journey back through time and visit the Bronze Age and early Christian age dwelling learning about past lives.