Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database KE013-012 (None)
NMR: KE 013 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 467559 Y: 630678 (IRENET95)
This coastal promontory is located at Kerry Head, c. 8km NW of Ballyheige in Co. Kerry, S of a similar promontory at Cathair Cairbre M†r. The domed eminence projects W from the mainland at an altitude of 30m OD and is defended to the E by two denuded stone walls with external ditches drawn in an arc across the neck. The facing from the walls has largely disappeared, but Westropp (1910, 124) noted some facing on the outer wall, which either consisted of 'two sections or of a rampart or terrace' (Redmond 1995, 8). The ramparts climb over a ridge running out onto the promontory. The outer stone wall measures 64m long, and is reduced to a bank 8m in width at the base and standing 1.2m above the bottom of the inner ditch and 3m above that of the outer ditch. The inner wall rises 1.2m above the interior and 2.8m above the bottom of the inner ditch, its bank measuring 8m wide. In addition there is a possible outer bank with an external ditch. There is a gap or possible entrance in the inner wall 10.2m from the NE end, with no corresponding gap in the outer. The sole internal features noted is one possible hut-site near the cliff edge to the N (Redmond 1995, 8; Toal 1995, 80).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -1107270 Y: 6874886 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -9.946779220866743 Latitude: 52.41156415788482 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Kerry
Historic County: Kerry
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Tiduff
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 coastal promontory is located at Kerry Head projecting W from the mainland at an altitude of 30m OD.It is composed of a domed eminence defended to the E by two denuded stone walls and a number of ditches.
| 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: W-facing promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✓ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 30.0m
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 site is recorded on the first edition six-inch OS map (1841). Visited and surveyed by Thomas Westropp in 1910 who recorded defences. Site later surveyed by the North Dingle Survey (Toal 1995, 79, 81)
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1841): | OS six-inch mapping |
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1910): | Westropp |
| Earthwork Survey (1995): | North Dingle Survey (Toal) |
No features are noted within the interior, other than one possible hut-site near the cliff edge to the N
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 is a gap or possible entrance in the inner wall 10.2m from the NE end, with no corresponding gap in the outer. As a result, it cannot be confirmed whether this is an original feature.
| 1: | It cannot be confirmed whether this is an original entrance. |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
The promontory is defended to the E by two denuded stone walls with external ditches, the facing of which has disappeared. The defences climb over a ridge running out onto the promontory. The outer stone wall measures 64m long, and has been reduced to a bank 8m in width at the base and standing 1.2m above the bottom of the inner ditch and 3m above that of the outer ditch. The inner wall, also reduced to a bank, rises 1.2m above the interior and 2.8m above the bottom of the inner ditch, and it measures 8m wide at the base. The upper grass-grown slopes of the domed interior extend to about 1ha, giving way to bare outcrops on the W
| Area 1: | 1.0ha. |
| Total: | 1.0ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 2.3ha.
None
| ✓ | Satellite imagery give the impression that the possible outer bank and ditch are on a slightly different alignment and may represent an earlier phase of construction |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Some terracing noted in outer wall. No longer survives
| 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 |
| ✓ | Possibly a third, outer, ditch |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Redmond, M. 1995. A survey of the promontory forts of the Kerry peninsulas. Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society 28, 5-63.
Toal, C. 1995. North Kerry Archaeological Survey. Dingle
Westropp, T.J. 1910. Promontory forts and similar structures of County Kerry. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 40, 179-213, 265-196
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