Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0672 Dunmurry West, Kildare

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database KD022-001001 (None)

NMR:  KD 022 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  671402  Y:  716918  (IRENET95)

Summary

Oval fort situated surrounding the summit and SE facing slopes of Dunmurry Hill. The summit offers panoramic views in all directions. The univallate hillfort has a total site footprint of 6.3ha and comprises a poorly preserved, grass covered stoney bank up to 6m wide and 0.5m high, with no obvious ditch feature. A mound (probably prehistoric), two possible hut structures and a small enclosure are apparent within the interior of the hillfort. Interior under pasture with patches of scrub and gorse. There have been no archaeological investigations of this hillfort.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -771597  Y:  7019689  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -6.931375195857639  Latitude:  53.197902913961684  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland; None

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Kildare

Historic County:  Kildare

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Dunmurry West

Monument Condition

Poorly preserved stoney bank.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Commercial forestry plantation abuts the site to the N. The interior is mostly used for pasture, with patches of scrub and gorse.

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

The hillfort surrounds the summit of Dunmurry Hill. The majority of the monument occupies the SE facing slopes of the hilltop. Panoramic views from the summit.

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:  Hilltop.

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

Altitude:  233.0m

Boundary

The N side of the hillfort forms the townland boundary between Dunmurry West and Guidenstown South.

Boundary Type:  Parish/Townland


Dating Evidence

No dating evidence.

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:   Mound near summit of hillfort interior may pre-date the construction of the fort.
Post Hillfort:   A large telecommunications building been built in the NW of interior. A road overlies the enclosing elements at SW.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

There have been no archaeological investigations of this hillfort.

Investigations:No related records

Interior Features

Two possible hut sites identified within the interior, comprising circular platforms, 5 and 7 meters in diameter defined by circular band of grass covered stones. A small enclosure approximately 25m in diameter with a wide bank encloses an area of 6m diameter and is defined by a poorly preserved grass covered stoney bank.

Water Source

None

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

Surface

Two possible hut structures, a small enclosure and a mound.

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

No recorded entrances.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

The oval univallate hillfort has a total site footprint of 6.29ha and comprises a poorly preserved, grass covered stoney bank up to 6m wide and 0.5m high, with no obvious ditch feature.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   5.84ha.
Total:   5.84ha.

Total Footprint Area:  6.29ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

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

Annex:
✗   None.

References

No related records



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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