- Not to be confused with the town of Navan in County Meath.
Navan Fort (
Old Irish:
Emain Macha ,
Modern Irish:
Eamhain Mhacha is an ancient monument in
County Armagh,
Northern Ireland. According to tradition it was one of the great
royal sites of pre-Christian
Gaelic Ireland and the capital of the
Ulaid. Severed heads of their enemies were said to be kept here. It is a large circular enclosure—marked by a bank and ditch—with a circular mound and the remains of a
ring barrow in the middle. Archeological investigations show that there were once buildings on the site, including a huge
roundhouse-like structure. The site is believed to have had a
pagan ceremonial purpose. According to the
Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, "the [Eamhain Mhacha] of myth and legend is a far grander and mysterious place than archeological excavation supports".