HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database DU009-001013 (None)
NMR:  DU 009 (None)
SM:  None
NGR:  None
X:  730869  Y:  751555  (IRENET95)
This coastal promontory is located at 'Scotch Point' in the NW corner of Lambay Island and projects N into Broad Bay at an altitude of 2m OD. It has extensive views of the North County Dublin coastline. The site is not recorded on any edition of the OS six-inch maps. An irregular area of land with an overall site footprint of 2.55ha, the ground slopes from E to W. There are sandstone outcrops along the N perimeter of the headland and there is a landing place on the NE. At the neck on the S, the headland is separated from the mainland by a low broad bank about 43m in length, blocking the S approaches. This bank is best preserved on the E and measures 13.5m in width and 1.2m in height. The external ditch measures 8.4m in width and 0.55m in depth. There are no obvious breaks in the bank to indicate original entrances and there are no recorded internal features. That said, recent geophysical survey on either side of the defences indicate areas of occupation and circular structures within the promontory (Cooney 2009, 21).
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -670979  Y:  7075595  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -6.027503318767828  Latitude:  53.49769860573851  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Dublin
Historic County:  Dublin
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Lambay Island
None
Extant   | ✓ |
Cropmark   | ✗ |
Likely Destroyed   | ✗ |
None
Woodland   | ✗ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
Parkland   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing)   | ✓ |
Arable   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
Heath   | ✗ |
Built-up   | ✗ |
Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Situated in the NW corner of Lambay Island, this promontory projects N into Broad Bay with extensive views of the North County Dublin coastline. It has an overall site footprint of 2.55ha with the internal area sloping from E to W at an altitude of 2m OD. The headland is separated from the mainland by a low broad bank and external ditch.
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:  N-facing promontory
North   | ✓ |
Northeast   | ✗ |
East   | ✗ |
Southeast   | ✗ |
South   | ✗ |
Southwest   | ✗ |
West   | ✗ |
Northwest   | ✗ |
Level   | ✗ |
Altitude:  2.0m
N/A
There is no dating available for the site
Reliability:  D - None
Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
Post AD800   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✓ |
Pre Hillfort:   | None |
Post Hillfort:   | None |
The site is not recorded on any edition of the OS six-inch maps. Geophysical survey conducted at the site in 2009 by University College Dublin.
Geophysical Survey (2009):   | Gabriel Cooney UCD |
Geophysical Survey (2013):   | Dowling |
There are no visible internal features but recent geophysical survey on either side of the defences indicate areas of occupation and circular structures within the promontory (Cooney 2009, 21).
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   | ✗ |
There are no obvious breaks in the bank to indicate original entrances
0:   | None |
2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
The headland is separated from the mainland by a low broad bank which runs across the narrow neck for approximately 43m to block the S approach to the promontory. This bank is best preserved on the E and measures 13.5m in width and 1.2m in height. The external ditch measures 8.4m in width and 0.55m in depth.
Area 1:   | 2.0ha. |
Total:   | 2.0ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  2.55ha.
None
✗   | None |
✗   | None |
NE Quadrant:   | 0 |
SE Quadrant:   | 0 |
SW Quadrant:   | 1 |
NW Quadrant:   | 0 |
Total:   | 1 |
Partial Univallate   | ✓ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✗ |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
None
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 |
✓   | None |
Number of Ditches:  1
✗   | None |
Cooney, G. 2009. Lambay Isalnd, Co. Dublin. Unpublished geophysical report submitted to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Galetacht.
Dowling G. 2014. Geophysical survey at Lambay, north Co. Dublin (Licence no. 12R078). Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
https://webgis.archaeology.ie/NationalMonuments/FlexViewer/
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