Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database DG018-001 (None)
NMR: DG 018 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 625048 Y: 941218 (IRENET95)
This coastal promontory, marked as 'Dooanmore' on the second edition OS six-inch map, is situated c. 2.2km NE of Portsalon, Co. Donegal. It is now a small island (1.18ha) of mostly rock outcrop separated from the mainland by a 7m wide cleft, and is mostly naturally defended by sheer cliff edges. Along the W side of the island is a level sheltered area (120m NS by 15-25m E-W), with an earthen bank 3m wide and 1m high running along its leading edge above the cleft to the rock outcrops at its N end. Lacy suggests that the bank was constructed after the island had separated from the mainland (1983, 219). Adjacent to the rock outcrop on the E limits of the flat area is a water-filled hole which may have been a well. A number of possible hut-sites are recorded internally. About 10m from the N end of the strip is a rectangular foundation 7m E-W by 3m N-S within a low bank 0.2m in height and up to 1.5m wide. About 20m to the S is the W half of a second foundation with similar internal measurements, and 9m to the S another possible hut-site, 8m E-W and 6m N-S overall. It is locally believed that the island was used as an O'Donnell refuge in the 16th century (Lacy 1983, 219). The site is currently overgrown with shrub and gorse and is accessed via a modern footbridge.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -846739 Y: 7404200 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -7.606385126863744 Latitude: 55.21753585012401 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Donegal
Historic County: Donegal
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Croaghross
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 small rocky island (1.18ha) of mostly rock outcrop is now separated from the mainland by a cleft 7m wide, The island is at about 1m OD and naturally defended by sheer cliff edges.
| 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: E-facing promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✓ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 1.0m
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 marked as 'Green fort island' on the first edition OS six-inch map and 'Dooanmore' on the second edition. Surveyed during the early 1980s for the compilation of the Archaeological Inventory of Co. Donegal.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1840): | OS six-inch mapping |
| Earthwork Survey (1983): | Brian Lacy |
Adjacent to the rock outcrop on the E limits of the flat area is a water-filled hole which may have been a well. A number of possible hut-sites are recorded internally. About 10m from the N end of the strip is a rectangular foundation 7m E-W by 3m N-S within a low bank 0.2m in height and up to 1.5m wide. About 20m to the S is the W half of a second foundation with similar internal measurements, and 9m to the S another possible hut-site, 8m E-W and 6m N-S overall.
None
| None | ✗ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
Possible hut-sites
| 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 island is accessed via a modern footbride to the N. There is no indication of an original entrance through the bank.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
Most of the island is naturally defended by sheer cliff edges. Along the W side above the cleft, which forms the leading edge of a level sheltered area (120m NS by 15-25m EW), there is an earthen bank 3m wide and 1m high. Lacy suggests that the bank was constructed after the island had separated from the mainland.
| Area 1: | 0.86ha. |
| Total: | 0.86ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 1.18ha.
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: 0
| ✗ | None |
Lacey, B. 1983. Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. Lifford
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