An ancient passage tomb or a Norman motte?

The Ninch barrow is located on an estuary of the River Nanny and has spectacular views over County Meath. It has always been assumed that the mound was a Norman Motte dating to the 12th century and even the nearby bungalow is named ‘The Motte’. Excavations carried out in 1979 by P.D. Sweetman have revealed that this is actually a burial mound dating from the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age. Ninch was also known as ‘The burial mound of Laogh’, who was one of Cuchulainn’s charioteers in local folklore.