Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Hillfort
Dunmurry West, County Kildare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Dunmurry West
- County
- Kildare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.19802, -6.93194
- SMR number
- KD022-001001-
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 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Outline of hillfort clearly visible on oblique aerial photograph (CUCAP AHL092) taken 26/06/1963. The upper portion of Dunmurry Hill (OD 769 feet) is girdled by a very poorly preserved, low, broad, grassed-over stoney bank (av. Wth 6m; int H 0.2-0.5m; ext. H 0.5-1.4m), augmented and reused as a townland boundary wall with Guidenstown South from NNW-NE, and reduced to a low scarp (H0.6m) at SE. (At NE the former townland boundary wall indicated on the OS 6-inch mapping has been levelled.) A large oval area is enclosed (diams. c. 370m NW-SE; c. 200m NE-SW) and contains a small enclosure (KD022-001002-) on the summit of the hill, with a small mound or possible cairn just to its E (KD022-001003-) and two possible hut sites downslope to the SSE (KD022-001004- and KD022-001005-). A large telecommunications compound has been built in the NW sector and a service road overlies the older enclosing element along the SW.
The hillfort was recently described in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland as following; 'Oval fort situated surrounding the summit and SE facing slopes of Dunmurry Hill. The summit offers panoramic views in all directions. The univallate hillfort has a total site footprint of 6.3ha and comprises a poorly preserved, grass covered stoney bank up to 6m wide and 0.5m high, with no obvious ditch feature. A mound (probably prehistoric), two possible hut structures and a small enclosure are apparent within the interior of the hillfort. Interior under pasture with patches of scrub and gorse. There have been no archaeological investigations of this hillfort.' (http://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/records/IR0672.html).
See attached image courtesy of Cambridge University
Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy
Revised by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of revised upload: 6 February 2020
References
CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com
Lock, G. and Ralston, I. 2017 Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland.(Online website at https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk)
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.