Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR1391 Derrylahan (Doire Leathan), Donegal

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database DG096-009 (None)

NMR:  DG 096 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  559481  Y:  875809  (IRENET95)

Summary

This coastal promontory is situated at 'Batchelors Point' c. 3km S of Carrick village, Co. Donegal. Roughly oval circular to oval promontory of c. 0.23ha that projects SW into Teelin Bay at an altitude of 8m OD. The headland is cut off from the mainland by an earthen bank and ditch drawn in an arc across the neck on the NE. The bank is c. 4.3m wide and up to 2.28m high, while the ditch is c. 6m wide and is on average 1.8m deep. The bank and ditch have been largely levelled towards the NW, where a 2.7m gap possibly indicates the position of an entrance leading out to the NE. The only features visible in the interior are a knoll of rock outcrop on the W side and a field wall which divides the interior from NE to SW. The site is located in pasture.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -960410  Y:  7290169  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.62750696626465  Latitude:  54.628874174797076  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Donegal

Historic County:  Donegal

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Derrylahan

Monument Condition

The bank and ditch have been largely destroyed on the NW side

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

None

Current Use:
Woodland   ✗
Commercial Forestry Plantation   ✗
Parkland   ✗
Pasture (Grazing)   ✓
Arable   ✗
Scrub/Bracken   ✓
Bare Outcrop   ✗
Heather/Moorland   ✗
Heath   ✗
Built-up   ✗
Coastal Grassland   ✗
Other   ✗

Landscape

Hillfort Type

This coastal promontory is roughly oval, occupying a headland of c. 0.46ha that projects SW into Teelin Bay at an altitude of 8m OD. The headland is cut off from the mainland by an earthen bank with an external ditch drawn in an arc across the neck on the NE.

Type:
Contour Fort   ✗
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✓
Hillslope Fort   ✗
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✗

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop   ✗
Coastal Promontory   ✓
Inland Promontory   ✗
Valley Bottom   ✗
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   ✗
Ridge   ✗
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   ✗
Hillslope   ✗
Lowland   ✗
Spur   ✗

Dominant Topographic Feature:  SW-facing promontory

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✓
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✗

Altitude:  8.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

There is no dating available for the site

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC   ✗
1200BC - 800BC   ✗
800BC - 400BC   ✗
400BC - AD50   ✗
AD50 - AD400   ✗
AD400 - AD 800   ✗
Post AD800   ✗
Unknown   ✓

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

The defences are depicted on the first edition OS six-inch map (1840's) and the 25-inch second edition. Surveyed during the early 1980s for the compilation of the Archaeological Inventory of Co. Donegal.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1840):   OS six-inch mapping
Earthwork Survey (1983):   Brian Lacy (Donegal Archaeological Survey)

Interior Features

There are no recorded internal features

Water Source

None

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features   ✓
Round Stone Structures   ✗
Rectangular Stone Structures   ✗
Curvilinear Platforms   ✗
Other Roundhouse Evidence   ✗
Pits   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation   ✓
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics   ✓
Pits   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds   ✓
Pottery   ✗
Metal   ✗
Metalworking   ✗
Human Bones   ✗
Animal Bones   ✗
Lithics   ✗
Environmental   ✗
Other   ✗

Aerial

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

The bank and ditch have been largely destroyed as they approach the NW side. A 2.7m gap in the bank and ditch at this location may indicate the position of an entrance however due to this destruction it is impossible to be certain without excavation.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   None

Enclosing Works

The headland is cut off from the mainland by an earthen bank and ditch drawn in an arc across the neck on the NE. The bank is c. 4.3m wide and up to 2.28m high, while the ditch is c. 6m wide and is on average 1.8m deep. The bank and ditch have been largely levelled towards the NW

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.23ha.
Total:   0.23ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.3ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   0
NW Quadrant:   0
Total:   1

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✓
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗
Unknown   ✗

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✓
Stone Wall   ✗
Rubble   ✗
Wall-walk   ✗
Evidence of Timber   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✗
Murus Duplex   ✗
Timber-framed   ✗
Timber-laced   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
No Known Excavation   ✓
Other   ✗

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Lacey, B. 1983. Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. Lifford



Terms of Use

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


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