Promontory fort - coastal

The National Monuments Service's description

Cromwell's Fort (KE087-034----): This defended promontory is located close to the SW end of Valencia Island, between Foilhomurrum Bay and the narrowest point of Portmagee Sound – the S entrance into Valencia Harbour. It comprises the poorly preserved remains of a blockhouse located at the forward tip of a cliff promontory, known as Sculgaphort, and is defended by a fosse and a large ravelin at its landward side.
Westropp suggested that a'Cromwell's Fort was sited on an earlier promontory fort (KE087-034001-) occurred at this location (1912, 305-6). He described the monument as 'an early promontory fort before its adaptation by his soldiers. speculate that it was the other Dunruadh that gave its name to the neighbouring cliffs out to Bray Head, but the subject is too uncertain, though no rival fort remains between it and Danganmore. It is on a steep-sided headland ending in the tidal reef of Sculgaphort (port cliff), evidently bearing an older name of the headland. It has a late outwork, a nearly equilateral triangle of fosses 9 feet [3m] wide, 6 feet [2m] deep, and each about 63 feet [19.2m] long. These rest on the base of the older fosse 6 feet [2m] to 10 feet [3m] deep, 12 feet [4m] wide below, and cut deeply into the rock. A gangway crosses it, but to none of the later entrances : doubtless to the gate of the dún. The fosse is about 130 feet [39.6m] long; inside is a mound faced by the Cromwellian mortar-built wall and 36 feet [11m] wide; inside that, a hollow, 88 feet [27m] across, in which are at least two sites of late houses or barracks. On the rising ground beyond is another house-site, 15 feet [4.6m] across, and, near the end of the cliff, and to the south west, is a fragment of a wall ending in a gate-jamb. This is said to have been a watch-tower. The name Cromwell as in eastern Limerick and elsewhere, may have originally referred to a "sloping wood," Crom-choill, as the map made by Baptist Boazio, in the reign of Elizabeth, about 1590, marks "Cromcoel," near the fort' (Westropp 1912, 305-6).
Monument described by Casey (2003, 22) as follows; 'A wedge shaped west facing uneven grassy headland guarding the entrance to Portmagee Sound was defended by a 17th century earthen triangular ravelin with internal fosse and a possible earlier straight fosse and wall crossing the broad neck immediately to the west. The defences measure 3.5m at their highest and the straight fosse is almost 8m wide at the top, 3m at the base. There is no sign of a causeway. The interior contains the barely visible remains of a medieval blockhouse and perimeter wall, just one gun loop was visible. The area in which the site lies is criss-crossed with older cultivation ridges and field boundaries and the sloping sea rocks suggest the headland was once large.’

See attached plan of fortification taken from O'Sullivan and Sheehan 1996, Fig. 248, 421 and plan of fort taken from Westropp (1912, 305).

The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1453. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 28 March 2022

References

Casey, M. 2003 The coastal promontory forts of Ireland: interim report for the Heritage Council. Unpublished specialist report, National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Westropp, T.J. 1912 Notes on the promontory forts and similar structures of County Kerry. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 42, 285-315.

O'Sullivan, A. and Sheehan, J. 1996 The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry. Cork University press.