The Rock of Dunamase (Dún Másc)

A ruined hilltop fortress in County Laois, guarding the plains for over a thousand years.

The Rock of Dunamase (Dún Másc, 'the fort of Másc') is a rocky hill in County Laois crowned by the dramatic ruins of a medieval castle. Its commanding position made it a stronghold from early times.

It came to the Normans as part of the dowry of Aoife, daughter of the king of Leinster, and was fought over for centuries before being blown up in the 1650s.

At a glance

• A ruined hilltop fortress in Co. Laois.
• A stronghold guarding the plains for over a thousand years.
• Part of the famous dowry of Aoife of Leinster.

In County Laois

The Rock of Dunamase is in County Laois, Laois in Irish, which means “the people of Lugaid Laígne”.

More in Laois

• The Slieve Bloom Mountains (Sliabh Bladhma): Gentle, ancient mountains rising from the central plain of Ireland.

Other places of this kind

• The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair): Sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region.
• Newgrange (Sí an Bhrú): A prehistoric monument in County Meath, older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.
• The Giant's Causeway (Clochán an Aifir): Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Antrim coast, a UNESCO site wrapped in the legend of Finn McCool.
• Glendalough (Gleann Dá Loch): A beautiful glacial valley of two lakes, home to one of Ireland's most important early monastic settlements.
• The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig): A dramatic outcrop crowned with medieval buildings, once the seat of the kings of Munster.
• Clonmacnoise (Cluain Mhic Nóis): A great early monastery on the banks of the Shannon, once a renowned centre of learning.

The Irish name

The Irish form of The Rock of Dunamase is Dún Másc. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.