Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

IR1566 Moveen East, Clare (Illaunadoon (Island of The Fort))

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database CL055-002 (None)

NMR:  CL 055 (None)

SM:  None

NGR:  None

X:  485153  Y:  658585  (IRENET95)

Summary

This coastal promontory, depicted as 'Illaunadoon' on the first edition OS six inch map (1839), is situated between Crean Point and Foohagh Point on the W coast of Co. Clare, c. 3.8km SW of Kilkee. It has been reduced by erosion to a flat-topped rock rock stack, and the neck that once connected it to the shore on the SE, which Westropp described as 'so loose and crumbling that much has fallen away since 1875' (1907, 43), has been entirely washed away. The grass-grown top measures 0.23ha in extent and is not accessible. Westropp records that this promontory had some 'slight mounds being an entrenched headland of the Danes Island type 2' (1907, 42), however, any defensive works that may have existed on the neck have been destroyed by the sea, and any on the adjacent mainland have disappeared under cultivation.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -1079570  Y:  6921502  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -9.697941045246246  Latitude:  52.66626152888217  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Republic of Ireland

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Clare

Historic County:  Clare

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Moveen East

Monument Condition

Any defences have been totally removed, though part of the interior still survives

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 flat-topped rock stack was once joined to the shore by a narrow neck which Westropp described as 'so loose and crumbling that much has fallen away since 1875' (1907, 43). The top has been reduced to no more than 0.23ha and is today completely sepaerated from the mainland and inaccessible

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:  5.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

There is no dating available

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 depicted as 'Illaunadoon' on the first edition (1839) OS six-inch map. Noted as the remains of a possible coastal promontory by Westropp in 1907.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1839):   OS six-inch mapping
1st Identified Written Reference (1907):   Thomas Westropp

Interior Features

There are no recorded 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 recorded entrances.

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

Westropp records that this promontory had some 'slight mounds being an entrenched headland of the Danes Island type 2' (1907, 42), however, if it had works on the mainland, they have since disappeared under cultivation, and the neck has been totally removed by erosion.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.23ha.
Total:   0.23ha.

Total Footprint Area:  0.42ha.

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:   0
Total:   0

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:  0

Annex:
✗   None

References

Westropp, T.J. 1907. Promontory forts in the "Irrus," County Clare: Part I. The Kilkee group. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 38 (1), 28-47.



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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