Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0910 Rathclooney, Clare

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CL026-100 (None)

NMR:  CL 026 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  541254  Y:  682835  (IRENET95)

Summary

Oval contour fort surrounding the domed summit of hilltop in dominating position in the landscape. Univallate for the entire circuit, the fort has a total site footprint of approximately 0.9ha. Two possible original entrance gaps comprising simple breaks in the enclosing elements at the NW and W. A number of modern field boundaries traverse the interior. There are no features on the surface that may be of archaeological interest. The enclosing element survives well at the W and NW, however, the majority of the fort is ploughed flat. The outline of the rampart is visible as a vegetation mark in aerial photography. The majority of the interior in under pasture and a small section to the W is under dense tree cover. First depicted in the second edition Ordnance Survey mapping.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -987741  Y:  6963262  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.873027161382643  Latitude:  52.893169864202385  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Clare

Historic County:  Clare

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Rathclooney

Monument Condition

The W and NW section of the enclosing elements are preserved. The remainder of the monument has been levelled and is visible as a vegetation mark in aerial photography.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

The levelled portion of the fort is under pasture, and the extant section is under dense tree cover.

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

Contour fort surrounding the domed summit of prominent hilltop overlooking O'Briens Big Lough at the base of the hill to the SE. Panoramic views from the summit.

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:  Hillslope

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

Altitude:  65.0m

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

First depicted in the second edition Ordnance Survey mapping.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1906):   Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping.

Interior Features

A number of modern field boundaries traverse the interior. There is no features on the surface that may be of archaeological interest.

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

NO APPARENT FEATURES

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

Entrances

Two possible original entrance features depicted in the second edition Ordnance Survey maps. These comprise simple breaks in the enclosing elements at the NW and W.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North west):   None
2. Simple Gap (West):   None

Enclosing Works

The enclosing elements comprise a single bank approximately 7m wide, occupying an oval area 0.9ha in size. The bank is preserved at the W and NW. The remainder is ploughed flat and is visible as a cropmark on aerial photography.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.83ha.
Total:   0.83ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.94ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   The aerial photography indicates that the ramparts formed a complete circuit.,

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

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

No related records



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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