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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