Promontory fort - coastal

The National Monuments Service's description

Along the W-facing low shore underneath the shadow of Mweelrea in an area of undulating open sheep grazing and sand dunes. The low headland commands a good view in all directions especially out to Inishturk and the other islands along the Connemara coasts. This part of the shore is known locally as Legha Beg. An oval shaped area measuring 27m N-S by 12.5m E-W is enclosed by a low cliff from the SW clockwise to the N and by the remains of a collapsed and grassed-over stone wall along the E and SE. The area rises to a flat plateau about 3m above the surrounding terrain. The surrounding wall measures 0.25m high inside ranges from 1m to 1.5m in height along the outside and is 5m wide. The wall is most clearly visible in the cliff face along the northern edge where a 0.6m high inner wall face can be seen. The wall core was of rough uncoursed drystone masonry and at a point 4.5m east of the revetting stands a slab (visible only in the cliff face) suggesting that the wall had an outer revetment. Otherwise the natural slope of the ground makes the outer edge of the bank difficult to determine. Elsewhere the wall is represented by a low earthen bank with only the edges defined by intermittently visible stone revetting. Outside the wall to the southeast is a possible 8m wide shallow fosse and a 1.5m wide by 0.2m high outer bank running for a length of 5m. This is only visible near the southern cliff edge and is represented elsewhere by a scarp. The interior is flat level and featureless and no trace of a entrance causeway can be seen. In the cliff face within the fort several layers of limpet shells and winkles can be seen about 0.1-0.15m below the present ground surface possibly the remains of a midden (MA015-003003-). It is unclear whether or not layers of quartz and shale pebbles beneath the shell layers are natural. The shore is accessible from the interior.

These descriptions are derived from the MA thesis of Markus Casey 1999 The coastal promontory forts of Ireland. A survey of counties Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Clare. Unpublished MA thesis, National University of Ireland, Galway.

Date of upload: 5 December 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 Unpublished MA thesis, National University of Ireland, Galway.