Promontory fort - coastal

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a rocky promontory, which projects to W from a small island, separated from the NW end of Iniskea North by a narrow tidal sea channel.
A promontory named ‘Doon’ noted by Westropp (1914, 322-323) was included by Casey (1999, 204) as a possible promontory fort. Westropp did visit not the island, but recorded that he understood that the fort was similar to examples in counties Clare and Kerry and consisted of ‘a rock platform rising from tidal reefs and walled’ (Westropp ibid.). Aerial reconnaissance by Casey (ibid.) did not confirm the presence of a promontory fort. However, a drone survey carried out on the island in August 2016 recorded the remnants of an enclosing stone rampart, which is masked in parts by storm debris (per. comm. Michael Gibbons, February 2018)

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of revised upload: 7 March 2018

References

Casey, M. 1999 The coastal promontory forts of Ireland. A survey of counties Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Clare. Unpublished MA thesis, National University of Ireland, Galway.

Westropp, T.J. 1914 The promontory forts and early remains of the islands of Connacht. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 44, 297-337.