Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database DG048-002 (None)
NMR: DG 048 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 567867 Y: 913986 (IRENET95)
This coastal promontory, marked as 'Fort' on the first edition OS six-inch map, is situated on a steep cliff edgeat a height of 7m OD on the S side of Aranmore Island, Co. Donegal. Triangular on plan, it measures 17m from NW to SE by 15m transversely within an earthen bank and external ditch drawn in an arc across the neck on the NW. The bank stands 0.8m high and the flat-bottomed ditch is at least 2.8m wide and up to 1.5m deep. Lacey (1983) suggests that two stones in the base of the ditch may suggest that the bank was stone faced. A causeway crossing the ditch is 1.8m wide, but there is no corresponding gap in the bank, indicating this entrance may be a later feature (Lacey 1983). A low bank 0.3m high runs around most of the edge of the interior 2m to 3m from the edge of the cliff. The area enclosed by this bank is roughly rectangular measuring 12m E-W by 8m N-S. There are no other recorded internal features.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -946424 Y: 7356526 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -8.501873260070541 Latitude: 54.9724748117863 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Donegal
Historic County: Donegal
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Illion
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 triangular projecting S into Rosillion Bay at an altitude of 7m OD. The landward side is defended by an earthen bank and an external flat-bottomed ditch.
| 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: S-facing promontory
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✓ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 7.0m
N/A
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 depicted as a 'fort' on the first edition OS six-inch map. Surveyed during the early 1980s for the compilation of the Archaeological Inventory of Co. Donegal (Lacy 1983).
| Earthwork Survey (1983): | Bran Lacy (Donegal Archaeological Survey) |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (None): | OS six-inch map |
There are no recorded features 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 | ✗ |
A causeway 1.8m wide and slightly SW of the mid point, crosses the ditch but there is no corresponding gap in the bank suggesting that the entrance may be a later feature.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | A causeway 1.8m wide crosses the ditch slightly W of the mid point |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North west): | causeway |
The landward side on the NW is defended by an earthen bank 0.8m high and an external flat-bottomed ditch 2.8m wide and up to 1.5m deep. Lacey suggests that two stones in the base of the ditch may suggest that the bank was stone faced. A low bank 0.3m high runs around most of the edge of the interior of the promontory 2m to 3m from the edge of the cliff.
| Area 1: | 0.02ha. |
| Total: | 0.02ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.03ha.
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 | ✗ |
Lacey suggests that two stones in the base of the ditch may suggest that the bank was stone faced. A low bank 0.3m high also runs around most of the edge of the interior of the promontory 2m to 3m from the edge of the cliff.
| 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: 1
| ✗ | 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