Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database WI035-062 (None)
NMR: WI 035 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 719029 Y: 681620 (IRENET95)
Near small village of Ballygahan, an oval hillslope fort of approximately 1.6ha total site footprint positioned on sloping ground with steep break of slope to N, E and S. Extensive views of the Avoca river valley from the interior. The hillfort is positioned at a major bend in the Avoca Valley. This gives the hillfort extensive views of the entire valley. There are no recorded entrance features. No evidence for any internal features on the surface. The ramparts have not been archaeologically recorded and their state is unknown. The entire hillfort is under dense scrub. Earliest map depiction in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. The monument has not been recorded in the archaeological inventory of County Wicklow.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -693732 Y: 6959411 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -6.2318961518454685 Latitude: 52.872295752179134 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Wicklow
Historic County: Wicklow
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Kilcashel
None
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Heavy overgrowth over the entire monument.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Hillslope fort positioned on sloping ground with steep break of slope to N, E and S. Hill gently rises to hill shoulder at the SW which is overlooked by hilltop with barrow at its summit. Hillfort overlooks modern copper mine 20m to SE and S and the Avoca valley to E. There are excellent views of this river valley from the hillfort.
| Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✓ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
| Hilltop | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✓ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: Hillslope.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✓ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 193.0m
N/A
No dating evidence.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | Extensive copper mining to immediate NE, E and S of hillfort. Possible mound abutting the exterior of the enclosing elements at NE. May be associated with more recent mining activity. |
Earliest map detection in second edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch mapping. The hillfort is recorded as an oval boundary overgrown with scrub. The monument has not been recorded in the archaeological inventory of County Wicklow.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1905): | Second edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch mapping. |
No evidence for any internal features on the surface. Heavy overgrowth over the entire monument may be obscuring low relief features. Possible mound 25m in diameter abutting the exterior of the enclosing elements at NE. May be associated with more recent mining activity.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Features | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Finds | ✓ |
| Pottery | ✗ |
| Metal | ✗ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✗ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked | ✗ |
| None | ✓ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
No obvious entrance features recorded.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
The hillfort is oval shaped in plan and comprises a single bank as depicted in the second edition Ordnance Survey maps. There is no other information relating to the enclosing elements available.
| Area 1: | 1.4ha. |
| Total: | 1.4ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 1.58ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Character of the enclosing elements unknown
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
None
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | No obvious ditch feature recorded. |
Number of Ditches: 0
| ✗ | None. |
No related records
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1