Hillfort

The National Monuments Service's description

A low, domed hill (OD 120-153m) on the W-edge of rising ground which climbs gently E to the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, and overlooks lower tillage and pasture to the W. Two widely spaced (av. Wth c. 120m), concentric, hedged, earthen banks generally follow two contours to enclose the hill. The lower, outer enclosure is complete (est. diam. c. 570m). The inner enclosure (est. diam. c. 350m) survives WSW-NW-NNE, and while an aerial photograph (GSI N384) shows the crop marks of fosses completing the circuit NNE-S-WSW, no visible surface trace of these features was located in the heavy vegetation covering parts of the interior of the monument. The interior was subdivided by later field boundaries radiating between the two enclosing elements, some of which, at NW, have since been levelled. A small enclosure (KD020-002----) lies in the E sector, between the inner and outer enclosures.
The hillfort was recently described in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland as following; 'Multiple enclosure surrounding the low, domed summit and W slopes of Kill hill. The site is situated at the NE foothills of the Wicklow Mountains and overlooks the town of Naas to the SW. The site comprises three widely spaced (on average 120m apart) concentric enclosing elements which are circular in plan, measuring approximately 593 meters in maximum diameter. The site has a total footprint of 26.2ha. The outer enclosing elements comprise earthen banks topped with modern hedges and are likely to have been altered. The middle enclosing elements are apparent in the N, however, the remainder of its circuit and inner enclosing elements have been levelled and are visible only in aerial photography. There are no recorded entrance features. A possible ring-barrow is located between the inner and middle enclosing elements in the E. Interior is under pasture. There is some partial scrub growth at W of interior. LiDAR survey by Ordnance Survey Ireland. No archaeological investigations of hillfort. Depicted in first and second edition Ordnance Survey maps as a series of curving field boundaries. The NE section of the hillfort forms the townland boundary between Kill Hill and Boherphilip. The SE section of the hillfort forms the townland boundary between Kill Hill and Rathgorragh.' (http://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/records/IR0674.html)

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 6 February 2020

References

GSIAP - Geological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1973). Geological Survey. Beggars Bush, Haddington Road, Dublin 4.

Lock, G. and Ralston, I. 2017 Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland.(Online website at https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk)