Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Hillfort
Earlspark, County Galway, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Earlspark
- County
- Galway
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.17199, -8.54164
- SMR number
- GA105-086----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On the summit of a prominent hill (OD 520 ft), overlooking Lough Rea c. 1.3km to the NW. Aerial reconnaissance in February 1986 (ASGAP 267:8) revealed this poorly preserved roughly oval hillfort (c. 200m E-W; c. 150m N-S) which is defined by a bank (Wth across the top c. 1.5m; int. H c. 0.6m) from N to E and by a scarp from E to SE and from W to N; otherwise no visible surface trace of the enclosing element survives. Several modern field boundaries cut across the monument. A field system (GA105-087----) abuts it at NE. Beglan (2014, 313-14) suggests that the hillfort may have been reused as a 'secondary lodge' when the high medieval deer park (GA105-236----) was established.
Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG
Updated by: Olive Alcock
Date of revised upload: 15 October 2020
References
ASGAP - Archaeological Survey Galway Aerial Photograph.
Beglane, F. 2014 Theatre of power: the Anglo-Norman park at Earlspark, Co Galway, Ireland. Medieval Archaeology 58, 307-17.
Nearby in the register
- Field systemunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Children's burial groundunder 1 mi
- Wellunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.