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Dunamoy motte is a medieval earthwork monument located in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. The motte consists of a substantial raised mound typical of early Norman fortifications in Ulster, constructed to command the surrounding landscape. Its position reflects the strategic importance of the locality in the medieval period, when such mounds served as the defensive core of timber-built strongholds.
The monument stands upon volcanic bedrock of Palaeogene age, comprising mafic lava and tuff formations. This ancient geology provides a natural foundation for the earthwork, though the motte itself represents a constructed medieval feature. The solid volcanic basement would have offered good drainage for the raised platform, important for the stability of any timber structures that once crowned the mound.
Dunamoy motte is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3031. The site forms part of the broader archaeological heritage of the Newtownabbey area, where similar medieval mottes document the Norman settlement and fortification of the Ulster landscape. Though no longer visibly crowned by its original wooden defences, the earthwork survives as a tangible record of medieval military architecture and territorial control in early medieval Ireland.
Dunamoy moat. motte is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3031. View the official record →
Dunamoy motte is a medieval earthwork monument located in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3031.
Dunamoy moat. motte dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Dunamoy moat. motte is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 3031.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath, conjoined with 051 (7.1 km), Trivallate rath, conjoined with 051 (7.1 km), Rath, part of rath group (c.f. 051 (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dunamoy moat. motte's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Dunamoy moat. motte stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.