Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0865 Ballyieragh North (Clear Island), Cork (Baile Iarthach Thuaidh, Dunanore)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO153-015001 (None)

NMR:  CO 153 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  494691  Y:  521722  (IRENET95)

Summary

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).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

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

Monument Condition

Late medieval fortification (CO153-015002-) occupies promontory and there is no visible trace of earlier defences.

Condition:
Extant   ✗
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

None

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 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

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:  S-W-facing promontory

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

Altitude:  9.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Only visible remains are late medieval

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:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

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.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1842):   OS six-inch mapping
1st Identified Written Reference (1915):   Westropp
Earthwork Survey (1985):   Cork Archaeological Survey.

Interior Features

Four storey tower-house and bawn on narrow neck of short promontory,

Water Source

None

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

Surface

None

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

Late Medieval fortification

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✗
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✓
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

The promontory is now isolated at high tide but was connected to mainland by causeway until 1831 (Westropp 1915, 253)

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Only access across the neck on the E

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

There are no recorded banks or ditches at the site

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.1ha.
Total:   0.1ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.38ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

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

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.



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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