Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0891 Kinure, Cork (Little Doone)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO125-019 (None)

NMR:  CO 125 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  570342  Y:  548510  (IRENET95)

Summary

The headland named ÇLittle Doon' on the first edition OS six-inch map (1842), is located c. 4km SW of Nohval Village and c. 5.1km SE of Kinsale town in S Co. Cork. It can be described as an irregular landmass (c. 120m NE-SW x c. 70m NW-SE) of approximately 0.99ha, projecting SE into the Atlantic at an elevation of 12m OD. It is connected to the mainland by a narrow neck which is 5m in length and 2m in width, and a section exposed by erosion suggests the ground here was raised to the same level as the promontory and mainland. The ground to the W of the entrance, however, has collapsed. The interior slopes gradually to the S and according to Westropp (1914, 108) there were 'clear foundations of a house just inside to the right (west) of the entrance, and what is possibly another foundation to the left'. There are no indications of earthworks which can be interpreted as enclosing elements.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -938306  Y:  6743945  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.428946295150475  Latitude:  51.68821029707623  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cork

Historic County:  Cork

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Kinure

Monument Condition

None

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

Coastal promontory composed of an irregular landmass of approximately 0.99ha, projecting SE into Atlantic. It is connected to the mainland by a narrow neck.

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:  It is overlooked to the N by a series of low hills.

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

Altitude:  12.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None

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

Site depicted as 'little Doon (fort)' on first edition (1842) six-inch OS map. Headland described by Westropp in 1914 who notes foundations of hut-sites immediately inside the entrance to the site. These were no longer visible when surveyed by Cork Archaeological Survey in 1990.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1842):   OS six-inch mapping
1st Identified Written Reference (1914):   Westropp
Earthwork Survey (1990):   Cork Archaeological Survey

Interior Features

Westropp described foundations of two possible hut-sites immediately inside the interior to the right. These are no longer visible due to erosion in that area.

Water Source

None

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

Surface

According to Westropp (1914, 108) 'clear foundations of a house just inside to the right (west) of the entrance, and what is possibly another foundation to the left'.

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

Site is accessed by a narrow neck connected to the mainland. It is not associated with any banks, ditches or stone-work. This is an original entrance to the site that does not seem to have been defended.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Site is accessed by a narrow neck connected to the mainland. It is not associated with any banks, ditches or stone-work.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

There are no recorded banks, ramparts or ditches.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.99ha.
Total:   0.99ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.99ha.

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. 1994. Archaeological Inventory of County Cork Volume 2: East and South Cork, 64-5. The stationary Office, Dublin.

Westropp, T.J. 1914. Fortified headlands and castles on the south coast of Munster. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 32C, 104-105.



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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