Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR1390 Errarooey More (Oirear Dhumhaí Mór), Donegal

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database DG015-020 (None)

NMR:  DG 015 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  596006  Y:  935396  (IRENET95)

Summary

This coastal promontory is located directly N of the 'Giants Eye' c. 4km NE of Falcarragh village, Co. Donegal. It is triangular on plan (c. 16m NW-SE by c. 12m NE-SW), comprising level pasture projecting NW into the sea. A ditch 3m wide and c. 2m deep has been drawn across the neck on the SE. A slight entrance causeway is recorded about midway along this ditch and a few stones protrude through the grass along its inner scarp. A small earthen bank set 2m in front of the ditch on the SE is interpreted as the remains of a possible field boundary (Lacy 1983, 221). There are no recorded internal features within the enclosed area. A holy well and a penitential station are recorded 50m to the S of the promontory (DG015-019; DG015-019001).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -897534  Y:  7394121  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.062682030829363  Latitude:  55.1658488350257  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Donegal

Historic County:  Donegal

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Errarooey More

Monument Condition

None

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

None

Current Use:
Woodland   ✗
Commercial Forestry Plantation   ✗
Parkland   ✗
Pasture (Grazing)   ✓
Arable   ✗
Scrub/Bracken   ✗
Bare Outcrop   ✗
Heather/Moorland   ✗
Heath   ✗
Built-up   ✗
Coastal Grassland   ✗
Other   ✗

Landscape

Hillfort Type

A triangular promontory (c. 16m NW-SE by c. 12m NE-SW) on level pasture projecting NW into the sea at an altitude of 45m OD. The headland is cut off by a ditch 3m wide and c. 2m in depth at its neck on the SE.

Type:
Contour Fort   ✗
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✓
Hillslope Fort   ✗
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✗

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop   ✗
Coastal Promontory   ✓
Inland Promontory   ✗
Valley Bottom   ✗
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   ✗
Ridge   ✗
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   ✗
Hillslope   ✗
Lowland   ✗
Spur   ✗

Dominant Topographic Feature:  None

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✗
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✓

Altitude:  15.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

There is no dating available for the site

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC   ✗
1200BC - 800BC   ✗
800BC - 400BC   ✗
400BC - AD50   ✗
AD50 - AD400   ✗
AD400 - AD 800   ✗
Post AD800   ✗
Unknown   ✓

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

The site is not depicted on any edition of the OS six-inch maps. Surveyed during the early 1980s for the compilation of the archaeological inventory of Co. Donegal (Lacy 1983).

Investigations:
Earthwork Survey (1983):   Brian Lacy (Donegal Archaeological Survey).

Interior Features

There are no recorded internal features within the fort.

Water Source

A holy well is recorded 50m to the S of the promontory (DG015-019)

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

None

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features   ✓
Round Stone Structures   ✗
Rectangular Stone Structures   ✗
Curvilinear Platforms   ✗
Other Roundhouse Evidence   ✗
Pits   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation   ✓
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics   ✓
Pits   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds   ✓
Pottery   ✗
Metal   ✗
Metalworking   ✗
Human Bones   ✗
Animal Bones   ✗
Lithics   ✗
Environmental   ✗
Other   ✗

Aerial

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

A slight entrance causeway is recorded about mid-way along the ditch and a few stones can be seen on the inner face.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (West):   Causeway over ditch

Enclosing Works

A ditch 3m wide and c. 2m deep has been drawn across the neck on the SE, resting on the cliff-edge at both ends. 2m in front of the ditch is a small earthen bank interpreted as the remains of a possible filed boundary (Lacy 1983, 221).

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.04ha.
Total:   0.04ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.06ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   0
NW Quadrant:   0
Total:   1

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✓
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗
Unknown   ✗

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗

Surface Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None   ✓
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✗
Rubble   ✗
Wall-walk   ✗
Evidence of Timber   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✗
Murus Duplex   ✗
Timber-framed   ✗
Timber-laced   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
No Known Excavation   ✓
Other   ✗

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Lacey, B. 1983. Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. Lifford



Terms of Use

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


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