placenamesSlane More
Sleamhain Mhór
The barrows on Slanemore Hill connect a prehistoric landscape with a later literary tradition.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Sleamhain Mhór · Irish · main form · validated name
- Slane More · English · main form
Place & story
The hilltop barrows
The Westmeath Barrow Survey describes three flat-topped earthen mounds on Slane More’s elongated summit. They vary noticeably in size: the western mound is the largest, while the eastern is the smallest. They are not set in a perfectly straight line. Additional burial monuments lower down the slope place the summit group within a broader arrangement of prehistoric earthworks rather than an isolated cluster. [2]
Stepped profiles and surviving evidence
The two larger summit mounds retain ledges around their sides, producing distinctive stepped profiles. The 2012 survey compared their condition with a photograph published in 1921 and recorded substantial erosion caused by cattle. Its measurements and comparison show how repeated observation can document changes to ancient monuments. The visible earthworks are archaeological evidence; they do not by themselves identify the people buried there. [2]
Slemain Midi in the epic
Archaeologist Paul Gosling identifies the hill with Slemain Midi in Táin Bó Cúailnge. In that literary account, the Ulster forces assemble here and raise a mound as a seat for their leader before the final battle. Gosling discusses the relationship between this episode and the surviving stepped barrows. The association belongs to the epic’s use of real landscapes, rather than proof that its battle occurred. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Slane More. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Westmeath Barrow Survey: 2012 report, Slane More sites32–34 · David McGuinness and Michael Herity, Westmeath County Council survey
- The Route of Táin Bó Cúailnge Revisited, Emania22, Slanemore discussion · Paul Gosling, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.