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Sessiamagaroll fort is a medieval fortification in Dungannon, County Tyrone, comprising an early Christian rath that was subsequently reused and remodelled as a motte-and-bailey castle. The site sits upon Sherwood Sandstone Group bedrock of Ladinian age, dominated by sandstone with interbedded siltstone and mudstone, geology that would have influenced both the original earthwork construction and later military adaptations. The fort is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 14780.
The original rath represents early medieval settlement and defensive practice, a ringfort typical of the period when such enclosures served as homesteads and status symbols in Irish society. The subsequent remodelling as a motte-and-bailey demonstrates the transition from native Irish fortification to Norman or Anglo-Norman military architecture, a pattern seen across Ulster during the medieval period as new defensive technology and strategic needs arose.
The monument's layered history reflects broader transformations in settlement and warfare across the region. The sandstone bedrock would have provided both building stone and archaeological preservation, whilst the local topography near Dungannon influenced the choice and development of this strategically significant location. Today the earthworks remain visible evidence of successive periods of occupation and fortification.
Sessiamagaroll fort. rath, reused as bailey, & motte is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14780. View the official record →
Sessiamagaroll fort is a medieval fortification in Dungannon, County Tyrone, comprising an early Christian rath that was subsequently reused and remodelled as a motte-and-bailey castle. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14780.
Sessiamagaroll fort. rath, reused as bailey, & motte dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath & motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Sessiamagaroll fort. rath, reused as bailey, & 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 14780.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Clonfeacle, clonfeacle cross. multiperiod church & graveyard with cross (3.3 km), Mullan fort. artillery fort (3.6 km), The island, the island fort. platform rath (5.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Sessiamagaroll fort. rath, reused as bailey, & 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.
Sessiamagaroll fort. rath, reused as bailey, & motte stands on Sherwood Sandstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Ladinian. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.