Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database DG047-012005 (None)
NMR: DG 047 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 636598 Y: 919735 (IRENET95)
Multiple enclosure in commanding position at domed summit of Greenan Mountain, overlooking Lough Swilly. The site has a total site footprint of approximately 2.6ha. No obvious entrance features recorded. Substantial Early Medieval ringfort at center of hillfort interior. This has been identified as the site of Aileach, the Early Medieval seat of the northern Ui Neill. Cairn and holy well between inner and middle enclosing elements. Ramparts comprise low-rise earthen banks covered in heather. Interior covered in scrub and heather. Inner Early Medieval ringfort was surveyed by Petrie in 1835 (Colby 1837). Depicted in first edition Ordnance Survey maps. This ringfort was restored between 1874-1878. Detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -826843 Y: 7366490 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -7.427658514316192 Latitude: 55.02381609496991 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland; None
Current County or Unitary Authority: Donegal
Historic County: Donegal
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Carrowreagh
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 | ✗ |
Multiple enclosure in commanding position at domed summit of Greenan Mountain, overlooking Lough Swilly. Panoramic views from the summit.
| 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: Greenan Mountain.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 241.0m
Townlands of Carrowreagh, Toulett and Speenoge intersect at the center of the hillfort.
Boundary Type: None
No dating evidence.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | Cairn between the middle and outer enclosing elements. |
| Post Hillfort: | Early Medieval ringfort, holy well and roadway. |
Inner Early Medieval ringfort was surveyed by Petrie in 1835 (Colby 1837). Depicted in first edition Ordnance Survey maps. This ringfort was restored between 1874-1878. Detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping.
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1835): | Petrie (Colby 1837) |
| Other (1842): | First edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch mapping. |
| Other (1906): | Second edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch mapping. |
| Other (None): | Restoration of Early Medieval ringfort at center of hillfort. |
Early Medieval ringfort at center of hillfort. Cairn and holy well between inner and middle enclosing elements.
None
| None | ✗ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
Central ring-fort, cairn and well
| 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 | ✗ |
No obvious entrance features recorded.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
The banks are low and covered in dense heather growth and are probably earthen. Possible external ditch features associated with the inner and external banks, and possibly an internal bank associated with the middle enclosing element. The middle and outer enclosing elements are not apparent at the SE, but probably formed a complete circuit.
| Area 1: | 0.35ha. |
| Area 2: | 1.6ha. |
| Area 3: | 2.4ha. |
| Total: | 2.4ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 2.55ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 3 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 3 |
| NW Quadrant: | 3 |
| Total: | 3 |
| 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: 3
| ✗ | None. |
Colby 1837
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