Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR0949 Clooncah, Galway

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database GA007-041 (None)

NMR:  GA 007 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  574124  Y:  766251  (IRENET95)

Summary

Near the modern town of Glinsk, a circular contour fort with a total site footprint of approximately 0.4ha is positioned on a low-lying hilltop overlooking the Suck River and valley to the immediate N and a number of smaller river systems and lakes. Univallate for its entire circuit with an internal ditch. Possible simple entrance gap in the N section of the enclosing elements comprising a causeway over the ditch. No evidence for any internal features on the surface. Enclosing elements have been heavily denuded and only the ditch remains. The monument was mapped by the Ordnance Survey prior to this alteration. Interior is under pasture. Modern field boundary cuts through the centre of the fort. First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Survey by Alcock et al. in 1995.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -934121  Y:  7103284  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.391350591377678  Latitude:  53.645401386876486  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Galway

Historic County:  Galway

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Clooncah

Monument Condition

The site survives as a poorly preserved, shallow circular ditch.

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

Poorly preserved contour fort at summit of low-lying hilltop overlooking the Suck River and valley to the immediate N and a number of smaller river systems and lakes.

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:  71.0m

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 map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Survey by Alcock et al. in 1995.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1842):   First edition 6 inch Ordnance Survey mapping.
Earthwork Survey (1906):   Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping.
Other (1995):   Site survey by Alcock et al.

Interior Features

No evidence for any internal features on the surface. Modern field boundary cuts through the center of the fort.

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

Alcock et al (1995) recorded a possible simple entrance break in the enclosing elements at the N which comprises a causeway across the ditch.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North):   None

Enclosing Works

Circular area defined by a shallow ditch approximately 5m in maximum width (Alcock et al. 1995). Historic mapping suggests that an external bank was originally present and measured approximately 8m wide. The bank originally comprised a collapsed stone wall (Alcock et al. 1995).

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.29ha.
Total:   0.29ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.44ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Now poorly preserved, historic mapping confirms that the enclosing elements 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

External bank levelled

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:
✓   Internal ditch.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None.

References

Alcock, O., de hÓra, K and Gosling, P. 1995. Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway. 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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