Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database OF011-035001 (None)
NMR: OF 011 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 660289 Y: 728870 (IRENET95)
Near the modern town of Edenderry, a circular contour fort with a total site footprint of approximately 1ha in commanding position on an isolated hilltop surrounded by level terrain in all directions. The fort overlooks the Figile River to the SE and the Doden River to the W. Trivallate for the entire circuit, with a simple entrance gap in the E. In interior is raised approximately 3m above the external ground level. There is no evidence for any internal features on the surface. The ramparts survive well, although the outer ditch has been damaged in the SE, E and NE. Interior under scrub and dense tree cover. First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Site survey by O'Brien and Sweetman in 1997.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Unconfirmed
X: -789857 Y: 7039928 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -7.095408315034512 Latitude: 53.3066784050204 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Offaly
Historic County: Offaly
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Ballykilleen
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 | ✗ |
Contour fort surrounding the domed summit and E facing slopes of Ballykilleen Hill, an isolated hilltop surrounded by level terrain in all directions. The fort overlooks the Figile River to the SE and the Doden River to the W.
| 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: Isolated hilltop.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✓ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 109.0m
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: | None |
First map depiction in first edition Ordnance Survey mapping. More detailed earthwork survey in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. Site survey by O'Brien and Sweetman in 1997.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1842): | First edition 6 inch Ordnance Survey mapping. |
| Earthwork Survey (1906): | Second edition 25 inch Ordnance Survey mapping. |
| Other (1997): | Site survey by O'Brien and Sweetman. |
The interior is raised approximately 3m above the exterior ground surface. 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 | ✗ |
Break in enclosing elements at E comprising a 3m wide gap which O'Brien and Sweetman (1997) have described as impressive.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (East): | None |
Circular area defined by three substantial earthen banks with intervening ditches. The raised interior is surrounded by a deep ditch, 2m wide and 3m deep and an external bank 1.5m wide and 1m high. A 11m berm separates this bank from the middle bank, although O'Brien and Sweetman (1997) suggest that this may be the result of 19th century landscaping. The middle bank is 2m wide and 1m in height and has an external ditch 2m wide and 2m deep. Immediately outside of this is a third bank 1m wide and 1m high and an accompanying external ditch 2m wide and 1m deep. The latter ditch has been damaged and is only visible at the S, W and N (O'Brien and Sweetman 1997).
| Area 1: | 0.12ha. |
| Total: | 0.12ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.95ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 3 |
| SE Quadrant: | 3 |
| SW Quadrant: | 3 |
| NW Quadrant: | 3 |
| Total: | 3 |
| 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 |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 3
| ✗ | None. |
O'Brien, C and Sweetman, D. 1997. Archaeological inventory of County Offaly. 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