Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO019-097003 (None)
NMR: CO 019 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 579671 Y: 607836 (IRENET95)
Near the village of Fermoy, an oval contour fort of approximately 12.5ha enclosed area, positioned on an isolated hill overlooking the Blackwater River valley to the S and Fushion River valley to the N. Partially preserved enclosing element, possible traces of two closely spaced banks with stepped profiles apparent to NE and NW. Two possibly simple entrance breaks NW and SW. Three other breaks in enclosing element likely to be a later addition. Topographical survey by The Discovery Programme has identified a number of hut structures within the interior to the N. Ruined Medieval castle surrounded by an enclosure of unknown date at centre of hillfort. Enclosure may be contemporary with the hillfort. N and W overgrown with gorse and scrub.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -923677 Y: 6840348 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -8.297531488131916 Latitude: 52.221902659864256 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland; None
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cork
Historic County: Cork
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Caherdrinny
Largely destroyed to the E.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Partially under pasture, overgrowth to the N and W.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Contour fort in commanding position, surrounding the summit of a prominent hill and overlooking the Blackwater and Fushion river valleys to the N and S. The site offers panoramic views in all directions.
| 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: Hilltop
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 210.0m
W section of hillfort forms townland boundary between Caherdrinny and Ballynacaheragh
Boundary Type: Parish/Townland
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: | Ruined Medieval castle positioned at center of hillfort. |
Topographical survey by the Discovery Programme identified a number of hut structures within the interior of the hillfort to the NW. The survey also revealed the closely spaced multivallation of the defences to the NNW.
| Earthwork Survey (2008): | Doody (2008) |
14 hut structures were discovered within the interior to the NW. There is a ruined Medieval castle on the summit, which is surrounded by a circular enclosure of unknown date. This enclosure may be contemporary with the hillfort.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Hut structures comprising flat areas enclosed by a circular setting of stones.
| 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 | ✗ |
A simple gap consisting of a 1.5m wide gap through the bank to NW, flanked on either side by an external ditch, 1.4m wide and 0.5m in depth. A second possible original entrance is located in the SW, where a ramped gap, 6m wide, cuts through the bank at an angle.
| 5: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North west): | None |
| 2. Simple Gap (South west): | None |
Enclosing element comprises a dumped stone wall with rough external facing, built on and partially cut into a natural scarp, approximately 12m in width and 0.5m in maximum height. At the NE and NW, two closely spaced banks with stepped profiles are apparent. Enclosing elements are largely destroyed to the E.
| Area 1: | 12.01ha. |
| Total: | 12.01ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 12.59ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | Destroyed at the E side, likely to have originally formed a complete circuit. |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Stone rubble bank rough exterior facing.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Partially cut ditches positioned outside the rubble bank features. |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Doody, M. 2008. The Ballyhoura Hills Project. Wordwell, Dublin.
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