Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database KE078-006001 (None)
NMR: KE 078 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 435981 Y: 576165 (IRENET95)
This headland, known locally as ÇDundagallan/D–n D_ Ghall_n' (fort of the two pillars) (Westropp 1912, 304) is a long narrow promontory of c.0.06ha (60m ENE by 12m), on the N side of Valencia Island in SW Co. Kerry. Two pillar stones at the entrance to the site are marked as 'Gallauns' on the first edition six-inch OS map. It is located on sheer cliffs and lies parallel to the neighbouring mainlands, projecting ENE at an altitude of 7m OD. A collapsed stony bank and an external, rock-cut ditch occurring at the neck of the promontory (O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, 129). The entrance through the denuded stone bank is marked by two upright stones and is approached across a 2m wide causeway. The stone bank survives to a maximum height of 1m and has an average basal width of 5m, its surviving length being no more than 9m. Some stone facing is visible above the S cliff (Redmond 1995, 39). The ditch on the SE side of the causeway is 3.1m wide, reaching a maximum depth of 1m. On the NW side of the causeway the line of the ditch is a less clearly defined feature measuring 2.5m long, 2.4m wide and 0.6m deep, which Westropp suggested was unfinished (1912, 305), but Redmond identifies as natural (1995, 39). Westropp describes a Çholed stone' in the base of the ditch and notes that there was memory of the stone Çstanding beside the fosse—thrown down by some young men for mischief, as is too common' (1912, 305). The interior of the fort is level and there are no recorded internal features.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -1155967 Y: 6784490 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -10.384229905854461 Latitude: 51.913440551958246 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cool West (Iveragh Peninsula)
Historic County: Kerry
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Kerry
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 | ✗ |
This long narrow promontory of c.0.06ha is situated on sheer cliffs and lies parallel to the neighbouring landmasses, projecting ENE from the mainland. It is now isolated by a collapsed stony bank and by an external, rock-cut ditch, occurring at the neck of the promontory.
| 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: 7.0m
N/A
There is no dating available for the site
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 |
The entrance pillars to the site are marked as 'Gallauns' on the first edition 6-inch OS map. Surveyed by Westropp in 1912 and visited for the compilation of the Iveragh Archaeological Inventory in the 1990s (O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, 128)
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1840): | OS six-inch mapping |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1912): | Westropp |
| Earthwork Survey (1996): | O'Sullivan and Sheehan |
Westropp describes a Çholed stone in the base of the ditch and notes that there was memory of the stone Çstanding beside the fosse—thrown down by some young men' (1912, 305).
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 | ✗ |
The entrance through the denuded stone bank is marked by two upright stones and is approached across a 2m wide causeway.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South west): | None |
The stone bank survives to a maximum height of 1m and has an average basal width of 5m and a surviving length of 9m. Some stone facing is visible above the SE cliff (Redmond 1995, 39). The ditch on the SE side of the causeway measures 3.1m wide and reaches a maximum depth of 1m. On the NW side it is less clearly defined, measuring 2.5m long, 2.4m wide and 0.6m deep, and though Westropp suggested it was unfinished (1912, 305), Redmond suggests is a natural feature (1995, 39).
| Area 1: | 0.06ha. |
| Total: | 0.06ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.08ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| 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 |
| ✓ | Westropp suggested NW section of the ditch was unfinished (1912, 305). Redmond however, notes that it bears no mark of human artifice (1995, 39) and may be natural. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
O'Sullivan, A and Sheehan, J. 1996. Iveragh Peninsula: An Archaeological Survey of South Kerry. Cork University Press. Cork
Redmond, M. 1995. A survey of the promontory forts of the Kerry peninsulas. Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society 28, 5-63.
Westropp, T.J. 1912. Notes on the promontory forts and similar structures of County Kerry. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 42, 285-324
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