Dún Bolg

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Dún Bolg [Ir., Bolg fortress]. Place-name for Ireland's largest lmown iron age fort, SW Co. Wicklow, site of a legendary battle in which the men of Leinster fought against payment of the tribute known as bórama [cow-countings]. Young Leinstermen were smuggled into the camp of the ard rí [high king], disguised as a tribute of food, hidden in baskets loaded on to 300 teams of twelve oxen each. Once inside the enemy encampment, the young Leinstermen emerged from their baskets and routed the ard rí's men. Alwyn and Brinley Rees, Celtic Heritage (London, 1961), 125–6, argue that this story demonstrates the function of Leinster among the five provinces in ancient Ireland: a food-providing yeomanry. It might possibly be identified with the place-name Dunboyke near Donard, Co. Wicklow.

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JAMES MacKILLOP. "Dún Bolg." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Dún Bolg." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-DnBolg.html

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Dún Bolg." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-DnBolg.html

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