Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Archaeological Survey of Ireland SMR Database MA065-030001 (None)
NMR: MA 065 (None)
SM: None
NGR: None
X: 470680 Y: 793515 (IRENET95)
This promontory is situated at the W end of 'Bealaglas' in an area marked 'Doonglass' on the first edition OS six-inch map (1839), but the land behind has been entirely cut away by coastal erosion. The rock rises abruptly to a high grassy platform, rapidly crumbling to the S, and though isolated from the mainland can be accessed at low tide. It has been enclosed by a dry-stone wall about 2.1m high, but there has also been an outer bank and a natural ditch. The latter is 1.2m deep and 2.7m wide at the bottom; the inner scarp rising to the foot of the wall. The wall forms a terrace on the W about 2.1m thick. The entrance probably lay in the collapsed southern sector. Internally, the promontory measures 21m E-W and 15m N-S, and Westropp was of the opinion that '20 feet to 30 feet have been cut away' (ibid). It is covered in long coastal grasses and sea pink. Two potential hut-sites are recorded within the interior, one of which is known locally as 'the tower'. This is 4.8m in diameter within a low wall of earth and stone 2.7m wide and 0.9m high. The second hut-site adjoins it to the W, measuring 4.5m in diameter with a wall 1.8m wide; its S side has fallen into the sea.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -1109483 Y: 7146505 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -9.966652374114517 Latitude: 53.874931017946516 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Republic of Ireland
Current County or Unitary Authority: Mayo (Achill Island)
Historic County: Mayo
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Carrowgarve
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 | ✗ |
The coastal promontory fort is situated on what was once the end of a headland, but the land behind has been entirely cut away by coastal erosion. The rock rises abruptly to a high grassy platform, rapidly crumbling to the S. It is isolated from the mainland but can be accessed at low tide and is enclosed by a dry-stone wall 2.1m high. Towards the unfenced part of the promontory an outer bank and a natural ditch survive.
| 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: None
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 5.0m
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 |
While the site is not depicted on any edition of the OS six-inch maps, the name 'Doonaglas' is given to the area at the W end of Bealaglas sound between Achill and Achillbeg, Co. Mayo. The site was visited and surveyed by Westropp in 1914.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1839): | OS six-inch mapping |
| Earthwork Survey (1914): | Thomas Westropp |
Two potential hut-sites are recorded within the interior, one of which is known locally as 'the tower'. This is 4.8m in diameter within a low wall of earth and stone 2.7m wide and 0.9m high. The second hut-site adjoins it to the W, measuring 4.5m in diameter with a wall 1.8m wide; its S side has fallen into the sea.
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 | ✗ |
It is isolated from the mainland but can be accessed at low tide. The entrance to the site probably lay farther S than the existing wall where the bank has collapsed.
| 0: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
Its main defence comprises a dry-stone wall 2.1m high, but there has also been an outer bank and a natural ditch. The latter is 1.2m deep and 2.7m wide at the bottom; the inner scarp rising to the foot of the wall. The wall forms a terrace on the W about 2.1m thick.
| Area 1: | 0.05ha. |
| Total: | 0.05ha. |
Total Footprint Area: 0.06ha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Enclosing wall is terraced
| 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 |
Westropp, T.J. 1914. The promontory forts and early remains of islands of Connacht. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 44, 297-337.
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