Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database GA084-063 (None)
NMR: GA 084 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 546802 Y: 729528 (IRENET95)
Near the modern village of Athenry, a circular contour fort with a total site footprint of approximately 0.7ha is positioned on a prominent hill with panoramic views from the summit. The visible remains suggests that the fort is univallte for the entire circuit, although historic mapping suggests that the enclosing elements may have comprised up to three banks. Two possibly original simple entrance breaks positioned at the N and NE were recorded in the second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. No evidence for any internal features on the surface. Ramparts survive best in the N and have been heavily damaged at the S. Interior under pasture with some tree cover on the surviving rampart. E section of interior in woodland. 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.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Unconfirmed
X: -979424 Y: 7041171 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -8.798318867796896 Latitude: 53.31335055673265 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland; None
Current County or Unitary Authority: Galway
Historic County: Galway
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Moanbaun
The S half of the hillfort has been ploughed out and is no longer apparent on the ground.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
The eastern section of the interior is under woodland.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✓ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Contour fort surrounding the domed summit of prominent hilltop near the town of Athenry. Panoramic views from the summit.
| 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: Hilltop.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 37.0m
A field boundary cuts the E section of the enclosing elements and forms the townland boundary between Castlelambert and Moanbaun.
Boundary Type: None
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: | None |
First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. This early plan of the site suggests that the fort comprised of three closely spaced banks. However, the more detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping depicts only a single bank which had subsequently been truncated. Survey by Alcock et al. in 1995.
| 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. |
No evidence for any internal features on the surface.
None
| 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 | ✗ |
Two possibly original entrance breaks positioned at the N and NE were recorded in the second edition Ordnance Survey mapping.
| 2: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North): | None |
| 2. Simple Gap (North east): | None |
Circular area defined by an earthen bank 6m in average width with external ditch up to 10m wide. The bank survives in the N, E and SE and the ditch is visible at the W and N (Alcock et al.) 1995). A large portion of the S section of the enclosing elements has been ploughed out at the S. Confusingly, the first edition Ordnance Survey suggests that the fort comprised three banks. The second edition maps depicts only a single bank and ditch and the S half of this enclosure has been ploughed out.
| Area 1: | 0.42ha. |
| Total: | 0.42ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.65ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | The first edition Ordnance Survey suggests that the fort comprised three banks each of which formed complete circuits. The second edition maps depicts only a single bank and ditch and the S half of this enclosure has been ploughed out. |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| 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 |
| ✓ | External ditch. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None. |
Alcock, O., de hÓra, K and Gosling, P. 1995. Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway. The Stationary Office, Dublin.
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