HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO153-015001 (None)
NMR:  CO 153 (None)
SM:  None
NGR:  None
X:  494691  Y:  521722  (IRENET95)
This promontory is situated on the NW side of Cape Clear off the SW coast of Co. Cork. Depicted on first edition OS six-inch map as 'Doonanore'. A late medieval fortification (CO153-015002-) occupies promontory named 'Dunanore' on NW shore of the island. There is no visible trace of earlier defences. The promontory is now isolated at high tide but was connected to mainland by causeway until 1831 (Westropp 1915, 253).
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed
X:  -1059183  Y:  6699210  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -9.514806140884732  Latitude:  51.43839203012986  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cork (Clear Island)
Historic County:  Cork
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Ballyieragh North
Late medieval fortification (CO153-015002-) occupies promontory and there is no visible trace of earlier defences.
| 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   | ✗ |
The promontory is situated on the NW side of Cape Clear off the SW coast of Co. Cork. The rectangular area of land projects W between two coves; Tonelunga and Coosadoona at an altitude of 9m 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:  S-W-facing promontory
| North   | ✗ |
| Northeast   | ✗ |
| East   | ✗ |
| Southeast   | ✗ |
| South   | ✗ |
| Southwest   | ✓ |
| West   | ✗ |
| Northwest   | ✗ |
| Level   | ✗ |
Altitude:  9.0m
N/A
Only visible remains are late medieval
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 'Doonanore'. Visited by Westropp in the early twentieth century who was not able to access the site as it was isolated from the mainland.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1842):   | OS six-inch mapping |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1915):   | Westropp |
| Earthwork Survey (1985):   | Cork Archaeological Survey. |
Four storey tower-house and bawn on narrow neck of short promontory,
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   | ✗ |
Late Medieval fortification
| APs Not Checked   | ✗ |
| None   | ✗ |
| Roundhouses   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures   | ✓ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Postholes   | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
The promontory is now isolated at high tide but was connected to mainland by causeway until 1831 (Westropp 1915, 253)
| 0:   | None |
| 2:   | Only access across the neck on the E |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
There are no recorded banks or ditches at the site
| Area 1:   | 0.1ha. |
| Total:   | 0.1ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  0.38ha.
None
| ✗   | None |
| ✗   | None |
| NE Quadrant:   | 0 |
| SE Quadrant:   | 0 |
| SW Quadrant:   | 0 |
| NW Quadrant:   | 0 |
| Total:   | 0 |
| 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:  0
| ✗   | 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.
Westropp, T.J. 1915. Fortified headlands and castles in western County Cork. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 32C, 249-86.
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