Hillfort

The National Monuments Service's description

Visible on aerial photographs (Michael Moore, 6 July 2006). Not recorded on the 6-inch OS 1st. ed.(1841) map but shown as an oval field (est. diam. c. 200m NE-SW; c. 100m NW-SE) on the 1908 ed. Possibly a hillfort.
The hillfort was recently described in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland as following; 'Near small village of Ballygahan, an oval hillslope fort of approximately 1.6ha total site footprint positioned on sloping ground with steep break of slope to N, E and S. Extensive views of the Avoca river valley from the interior. The hillfort is positioned at a major bend in the Avoca Valley. This gives the hillfort extensive views of the entire valley. There are no recorded entrance features. No evidence for any internal features on the surface. The ramparts have not been archaeologically recorded and their state is unknown. The entire hillfort is under dense scrub. Earliest map depiction in second edition Ordnance Survey mapping. The monument has not been recorded in the archaeological inventory of County Wicklow. Extensive copper mining to immediate NE, E and S of hillfort. Possible mound abutting the exterior of the enclosing elements at NE. May be associated with more recent mining activity.' (http://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/records/IR0721.html)

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 7 February 2020

References

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