Dorsey, County Armagh

Dorsey or Dorsy (from Irish Na Doirse, meaning 'the gateways')[1] is a small village and townland between Belleeks and Cullyhanna in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

[citation needed] Na Doirse, the gateways, is an extensive earthwork which runs through the South Armagh area.

The Dorsey Ramparts, or 'The Walls' as they are known locally, are said to have been a fortified frontier post to the kingdom whose capital was Emain Macha (Navan Fort), blocking an important historic route into South Armagh.

Some time later Ulster was threatened from the south and it is speculated that Dorsey may have been incorporated into a more extensive defensive system known in Monaghan and further west as the Black Pig's Dyke.

[citation needed] Dorsey is one of the few monuments in the north of Ireland which have been confirmed as Iron Age in date.

There are several possible reasons why control over space would be exercised at this site, and the presence of the road is central to each interpretation.

Dorsey has a community centre, a Gaelic football pitch (Rory McGee Park) and a chapel.