Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database GA009D027 (None)
NMR: GA 009 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 452313 Y: 764696 (IRENET95)
This promontory fort is situated on the S side of Inishbofin, close to Bofin Harbour off the W coast of Co. Galway. The site, named as ÇDoongrania' on the first edition six-inch OS map, is now an eroding island (0.07ha; 46m by 18m), once joined to the mainland by a shingle bank Çwith other grass-topped rocks, miniatures of itself, rising here and there' (Westropp 1914, 332). The landmass is accessible at low tide from the N. Westropp noted the foundation of a rampart, Ça dry-stone revetment' along the NW side of the island, only faint traces of which survive today (Gosling 1993, 31). A number of hut-sites are recorded within the interior. Westropp records two Çconjoined huts, the western partly cut away by a cliff fall, but 15 feet across inside, the eastern 12 feet across'. About 40m from the S cliff were two more conjoined huts Çthe southern 12 feet, the northern 15 feet across inside' (1914, 332). There is some local tradition of a castle on the island but there is no physical evidence of such remains.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -1139020 Y: 7096873 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -10.231988517763016 Latitude: 53.611252386888125 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Westquarter (Inishbofin)
Historic County: Galway
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Galway
Only faint traces of rampart wall survives today
| 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 | ✗ |
This coastal promontory reduced to an eroding island (0.07ha; 46m by 18m) situated at an altitude of 1m OD. Once joined to the mainland by a shingle bank. Defended by dry-stone wall along the NW side of the island, only faint traces of which survive today.
| 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: None
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 1.0m
N/A
No dating evidence available
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 |
Site named as ÇDoongrania' on the first edition 6-inch OS map.Visited by Westropp in the early twentieth century who noted Ça dry-stone revetment' along the NW side of the island. Visited for the compilation of the archaeological Inventory of County Galway in 1983 (Gosling 1993, 31).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1840): | OS 6-inch mapping |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1914): | Westropp |
| Earthwork Survey (1983): | Gosling |
Westropp records two sets of conjoined hut-sites within the interior of the site
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 | ✗ |
There are no recorded entrances. The site was once joined to the mainland by a shingle bank on the NNE.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
Westropp noted the foundation of a rampart, «a dry-stone revetment along the NW side of the island, only faint traces of which survive today.
| Area 1: | 0.07ha. |
| Total: | 0.07ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.07ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| 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 |
| ✗ | None |
Number of Ditches: None
| ✗ | None |
Gosling, P. 1993. The Archaeological Inventory of County Galway: Vol 1, 28-31.Stationary Office, Dublin
Westropp, T.J. 1914. Promontory forts of the Islands of Connacht. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 44, 333
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