Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO128-005 (None)
NMR: CO 128 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 469451 Y: 541745 (IRENET95)
This promontory is located on the S side of Bear Island at Doonbeg Head off the SW coast of Co. Cork. The headland can be described as a large sub-rectangular area (500m N-S by c. 400m E-W) projecting SW from the Island into Bantry Bay at an altitude of 80m OD. Depicted on first edition OS six-inch map as 'Doonbeg' (1842). It is enclosed by an earthen bank measuring 1m in height that runs E-W across neck on the landward side for c. 260m. A shallow ditch is noted on both sides of the bank with a field fence to landward side (Power et al. 1992). No breaks or formal entrances are recorded through the earthen bank into the promontory which is divided axially by natural fault. A possible rectangular hut-site measuring 6m by 3m along with various anomolous groupings of stones are recorded to the E of the interior of the headland, on lower side. The landmass is covered in heather and scrub while some rock outcrop is also visible.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Unconfirmed
X: -1100404 Y: 6730459 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -9.885095033748495 Latitude: 51.61304421285522 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cork (Bear Island)
Historic County: Cork
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Greenane
None
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
The headland is covered in heather and scrub while some rock outcrop is also visible.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✓ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
This promontory is located on the S side of Bear Island at Doonbeg Head off the SW coast of Co. Cork. The headland projects SW from the Island into Bantry Bay at an altitude of 80m OD
| 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: SW-facing promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✓ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 80.0m
N/A
No dating available for the site
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
Depicted on first edition OS six-inch map as 'Doonbeg'. Survey of the site in 1985 recorded low earthen bank across the neck of the headland with a shallow ditch on either side. Rectangular hut site (6m x 3m) and various anomolous groupings of stones were also recorded to the E, on lower side (Power et al. 1992, 128).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1842): | OS six-inch mapping |
| Earthwork Survey (1985): | Cork Archaeological Survey |
Rectangular hut site (6m x 3m) and various anomolous groupings of stones are recorded to the E, on lower side.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| 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 breaks or formal entrances are recorded into promontory
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
The defences consist of a low earthen bank (H 1m) that runs E-W across neck on the landward side. A shallow ditch is noted on both sides of the bank
| Area 1: | 17.15ha. |
| Total: | 17.15ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 17.15ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 1 |
| 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 |
| ✓ | A shallow ditch is noted on both sides of the bank; |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Power, D., Byrne, E., Egan, U., Lane, S., and Sleeman, M. 1992. Archaeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 1: West Cork, 126-130. The stationary Office, 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