School: Castletown, Mountrath (roll number 2731)
- Location:
- Castletown, Co. Laois
- Teacher: Bean Uí Mhearnáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0826, Page 008
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- XML School: Castletown, Mountrath
- XML Page 008
- XML “St Aongus”
- XML “Gort na Cle”
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- (continued from previous page)famous scholar.
- famous scholar. Gort na Cle.
Gort na Cle means the "field of the stakes". After the battle of Contarf in the year 1014 Donogh the son of Brian Boru was marching home with some of the Dalcassions, and they were carryig the wounded on litters and halted to rest at Gort na Cle.
Mac Gilla Patrick, the Prince of Ossory had great enmity against Brian Boru, because Brian had put his father in prison. On hearing of the weakened state of the Dalcassions, Mac Gilla Patrick came to attack them in revenge.
Donogh ordered the wounded to be left in the rear with a third of his soldiers to guard them. But the brave men though feeble and weak begged to be allowed to fight. "Let stakes be fixed in the ground" they said "and let us be tied to them for support".
Donogh so arranged his men for the battle. But when the Ossory men saw how determined the Munster men were, they soon gave up the attack and ever since it is called the "Field of hte Stakes".(continues on next page)
