Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0914 Glenphuca, Cork

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CO066-010001 (None)

NMR:  CO 066 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  594778  Y:  579938  (IRENET95)

Summary

Near the modern town of Dungourney, oval contour fort with total site footprint of approximately 0.7ha in commanding position on hilltop located on W edge of escarptment overlooking the Dungourney River and valley to the W. Univallate for the entire circuit with a simple entrance gap in the enclosing elements at the E. A curving bank separates an oval area of the interior abutting the W section of the bank (Power 1994, 66). A possible souterrain in which an Ogham stone had been used as a roofing slab was recorded at the centre of the fort by O'Kelly (1945, 19). Rampart survives well throughout. Tree cover in the W section of the interior. The remainder of the monument is under scrub. First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Site survey by Power in 1994.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -899016  Y:  6794971  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.076001386581284  Latitude:  51.971482715930016  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Cork

Historic County:  Cork

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Glenphuca

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

The SW section of the enclosing elements are under tree cover. The remainder is covered by dense scrub.

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 in commanding position surrounding the domed summit of hilltop at W edge of escarpment, overlooking the Dungourney River and valley to the W.

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:  Hilltop.

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

Altitude:  154.0m

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:   Possible Early Medieval souterrain and Ogham stone.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Site survey by Power in 1994.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1842):   First edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch mapping.
Earthwork Survey (1906):   Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping.
Other (1994):   Site survey by Power in 1994.

Interior Features

At SW side of interior a curving earthen bank cuts off an oval area approximately 25m by 20m in area (Power 1994, 66). A possible souterrain is positioned at the centre of the fort. An Ogham stone was used as a roofing slab for the souterain (O'Kelly 1945, 19).

Water Source

None

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

Surface

Possible souterrain and earthwork.

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

A simple 2m wide entrance gap in the enclosing elements at the E may be an original feature. This is revetted on the N side by a sandstone block. A second stone block partially blocks the entrance (Power 1994, 66).

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Subcircular area enclosed by an earthen bank approximately 2.5m in height and 8.5m in maximum width.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.49ha.
Total:   0.49ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.67ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

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

O'Kelly, M. 1945. Some prehistoric monuments of Imokilly. Journal of the Cork Archaeological Society, 50, 10 - 23.

Power, D. 1994. Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, Vol. 2: East and South Cork. The Stationary Office, Dublin.



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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