Maighean Rátha

Mountrath derives its name from the Irish Maighean Rátha, meaning 'homestead of the ringfort,' though the alternative form Moin Ratha means 'fort in the bog,' reflecting the settlement's origins in a marshy, low-lying area near what is now Redcastle, approximately a mile and a half east of the modern town. The ecclesiastical significance of the region predates recorded settlement; the important...