Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO100-017002 (None)
NMR: CO 100 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 588760 Y: 559402 (IRENET95)
The headland named ÇDoonpower' on the first edition OS six-inch map (1842), is located c. 6km SE of Whitegate Village and c. 8km S of Cloyne on the SE coast of Cork City. It can be described as a rectangular area of approximately 0.49ha that projects S into the sea at an altitude of 9m OD. The neck is defended by three earthen banks (H 1 -2.5m) and three ditches running across the headland for c. 70m from ENE to WSW. The outer bank (2.5m in height) and ditch are drawn in an arc, which on the WNW encloses a shallow depression. The inner two banks and ditches terminate on the E edge of this depression (Power et al. 1992). The entrance is centrally placed and crosses all three ditches by causeway. O'Kelly (1945, 21) suggests the outer bank (which is the largest) was strengthened when the promontory was subsequently occupied by a castle (CO100-01703). Westropp (1914, 103) noted some levelling of banks and removal of stone facing from the inner bank prior to his visit. The interior is eroding into sea on all sides. Some traces of the castle (CO100-01703-) are visible at the inner end of entrance causeway. Site is currently under pasture.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -908692 Y: 6761666 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -8.162918941009979 Latitude: 51.78679286303474 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cork
Historic County: Cork
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Lahard
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 | ✗ |
Coastal promontory can be described as a rectangular headland of approximately 0.71ha that projects S into the sea at an altitude of 9m OD. The neck is defended by three earthen banks (H 1 -2.5m) and three ditches.
| 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: South-facing promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✓ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 9.0m
N/A
None
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | Late Medieval castle. Only remains of castle are grass-covered mound at inner end of entrance causeway. Westropp (1914, 103) noted peel-tower or gatehouse (L 30 feet; W17 feet) 'with wall 6 feet thick of good slab masonry'. |
Defences and remains of castle depicted on first edition (1842) OS six-inch map. Site described by Westropp in 1914 who noted three earthen bansk and ditches. He also observed some levelling and removal of some stone facing associated with the inner banks (1914, 103). Site was also inspected by O'Kelly who noted that the outer bank may have been added to during the occupation of the site during the Later Medieval period (1944,21). Later visited and surveyed by the Cork Archaeological Survey (Power et al. 1992).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1842): | Six-inch OS mapping |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1914): | Westropp |
| Other (1944): | O'Kelly |
| Earthwork Survey (1984): | Cork Archaeological Survey |
There are no recorded features in the interior, besides the remains of a later castle. Much of the interior is suffering badly from erosion.
Springs noted by Westropp in some parts of the inner ditch, while the outer ditch is 'fed by a hearty little brook pouring down the west slope' (1914, 103-4).
| 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 | ✗ |
Interior is accessed through single break through all three banks. Crosses all three ditches by causeway.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North west): | Simple gap through banks crossing all three ditches by causeway. |
The neck is defended by three earthen banks (H 1-2.5m) and three ditches.
| Area 1: | 0.27ha. |
| Total: | 0.27ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.49ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 3 |
| Total: | 3 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✓ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Defences composed of three earthen banks. Westropp (1914, 103) noted some levelling of banks and removal of stone facing from inner bank prior to his visit
| 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 |
O'Kelly, M.J. 1945. Some prehistoric monuments of Imokilly. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 50, 10-23.
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.
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