Mael Rua's Rock
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Caiseal Maeil Ruadh | |
 | |
| Location | Tyrmidra, Maltropia |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Builder | Mael Rua Mac Conchobar |
| Founded | 1220s |
| Periods | Bronze Age, Middle Ages, Modern |
Mael Rua's Rock (Irish: Caiseal Maeil Ruadh, Mael Rua's ringfort) is an ancient site in central Maltropia and a former royal seat of the Uí Midire. It stands on the northern boundary of Na hÍsle, an extensive region of sand flats lying between Tyrmidra and Montrose. Evidence for human habitation on the small tidal island dates to the middle of the second millennium BC. The current structure, a castle on top of the island, was erected in the 1220s by Mael Rua Mac Conchobar and includes a fourteenth-century chapel within its walls. Most of the structures on the island were refurbished or rebuilt in the nineteenth century. It is now a national monument.