Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR1469 Inishdooey (Oileán Dúiche), Donegal (Doon Mór (Big Fort))

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database DG014-003 (None)

NMR:  DG 014 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  589693  Y:  937830  (IRENET95)

Summary

This coastal promontory enclosure, marked as 'Doon More' (Big Fort) on the second edition OS six-inch map is located at 'Keelasmore Sound' at the S end of Inishdooey Island off the coast of Co. Donegal. The headland projects S from the island at an altitude of 3m OD. It was not visited as part of the Donegal Archaeological Survey (Lacey 1983) but aerial photos and satellite imagery indicate that the headland is enclosed by two banks and a possible medial ditch. These have been drawn across the neck from ENE to WSW over a distance of 65m, though the inner also continues at either end along the margin of the headland for an overall distance of 110m. The grass-grown top of the headland extends to about 2.4ha and shows extensive traces of turf digging and cultivation rigs. No other internal features are visible on the photographs.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -908573  Y:  7398366  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -8.16184683405773  Latitude:  55.187625064991344  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Donegal (Inishdooey)

Historic County:  Donegal

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Inishdooey

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

This possible coastal promontory is located at 'Keelasmore Sound' at the S end of Inishdooey Island off the coast of Co. Donegal at an altitude of 3m OD. The site was not visited as part of the Donegal Archaeological Survey (Lacey 1983) but aerial photos indicate that the this part of the island is enclosed by at least two banks and a ditch.

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:  S-facing promontory

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

Altitude:  3.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

There is no dating aviailable 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

This possible coastal promontory, marked as 'Doon More' (Big Fort) on the second edition OS six-inch map.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1913):   OS six-inch mapping

Interior Features

Apart from cultivation rigs there are no apparent internal features

Water Source

None

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

There are no apparent entrances through the banks on the aerial photos.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

The site was not visited as part of the Donegal Archaeological Survey (Lacey 1983) but aerial photos indicate that the this part of the island is enclosed by at least two banks, and possibly a medial ditch, that extend across the neck from ENE to WSW for approximately 65m.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.4ha.
Total:   2.4ha.

Total Footprint Area:  2.75ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   0
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   2

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:
✓   Possibly a medial ditch between the banks

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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