Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database WA025-065 (None)
NMR: WA 025 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 644200 Y: 598623 (IRENET95)
This coastal promontory is located immediately SE of Bunmahon town in Co. Waterford. Known as ÇGully's Islands', this triangular grass-covered headland projects SW from the mainland into the Atlantic at an altitude of 5m OD. The landmass is cut off on the landward side by an eroded earthen bank which runs in an E-W direction for c. 35m. It is 6m in width and has an external height of 1.2m. An external ditch measures 8m in width and has a depth of 0.35m. An Ogham stone was recovered from the ditch in the 1980's while another was found in the 1990s (Manning 1989). There is no recorded entrance through the defences. In addition to the area on the mainland, it is likely that the interior once incorporated two off-shore sea stacks that have been separated by the erosion of collapsed sea arches; if so the interior of the fort may have measured in the order of 90m in length and may have extended to 0.18ha. There are no recorded internal features.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -818679 Y: 6825061 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -7.354314862258319 Latitude: 52.13769730407664 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Waterford
Historic County: Waterford
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Knockmahon
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 | ✗ |
The coastal promontory can be described as a triangular, grass-covered headland projecting SW from the mainland into the Atlantic at an altitude of 5m OD. Defended on the landward side by an eroded earthen bank and ditch running in an E-W direction for c. 35m
| 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: SW-facing promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✓ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 5.0m
N/A
There is no dating available for the site. While the discovery of Ogham stones within the ditch could indicate an early medieval date for the site, it cannot be confirmed without excavation.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | The discovery of Ogham stones could indicate post-hillfort activity however this cannot be confirmed without excavation. |
The site is not depicted on any of the early 6-inch OS maps of the area. An Ogham stone was recovered from the ditch in the 1980's while another was found in the 1990s (Manning 1989). Site was inspected and surveyed for the compilation of the Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford (Moore 1999).
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1989): | Connleth Manning (National Monuments Service) |
| Earthwork Survey (1989): | Moore |
There are no recorded internal features such as hut-sites. Two stones with ogham script were recovered from the ditch when the site was surveyed in the 1980s.
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 | ✗ |
Two ogham stones were recovered from the ditch in the 1980s
| 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 | ✗ |
There is no recorded entrance through the defences
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
The landmass is cut off on the landward side by an eroded earthen bank which runs in an E-W direction for c. 35m. It is 6m in width and has an external height of 1.2m. An external ditch measures 8m in width and has a depth of 0.35m.
| Area 1: | 0.05ha. |
| Total: | 0.05ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.07ha.
None
| ✗ | If the two off shore sea stacks were originally part of the fort and joined to the mainland the interior may have extended to at least 0.18ha |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| 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 |
| ✓ | An external ditch measures 8m in width and has a depth of 0.35m. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
Manning, C. 1989. A Promontory Fort and Ogham Stone at Knockmahon, Co. Waterford. Decies xxxx 7-11.
Moore, M. 1999. Archaeological inventory of County Waterford, 64-8. 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