Northern Ireland, like the rest of the British Isles, is dotted with hillforts. The Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland lists thirty-two such forts. These are classically defined as small hilltop settlements fortified with earthworks, but many are not located on hills, and probably did not function as forts.[1] Their function is unclear; although conventionally interpreted as defensive fortifications[2] and centres of economic political power,[3] there is little evidence that they were ever attacked,[1] and more recent scholarship has suggested that they may be better interpreted as monuments.[4]
County Antrim
edit- Ballygill North (Rathlin Island) (55°18′41″N 6°14′27″W / 55.31127°N 6.24084°W), promontory fort[5]
- Carncoagh (54°56′03″N 6°13′38″W / 54.93428°N 6.22736°W), contour fort[6]
- Carnduff (55°13′16″N 6°16′23″W / 55.22109°N 6.27308°W), promontory fort[7]
- Carravindoon (Rathlin Island) (55°16′19″N 6°10′45″W / 55.2719°N 6.17919°W), promontory fort[8]
- Carrickagile (Rathlin Island) (55°17′19″N 6°10′30″W / 55.28865°N 6.17494°W), promontory fort[9]
- Derrynaseer (54°30′31″N 6°17′35″W / 54.50874°N 6.29293°W), contour fort[10]
- Dooninish (55°14′12″N 6°25′32″W / 55.23671°N 6.42553°W), promontory fort[11]
- Dunineny Castle (55°12′42″N 6°15′04″W / 55.2116°N 6.25103°W), promontory fort[12]
- Dunmull (55°10′23″N 6°36′18″W / 55.1731°N 6.605°W), partial contour fort[13]
- Galboly Lower (55°02′45″N 5°57′55″W / 55.0459°N 5.96539°W), promontory fort[14]
- Knockdhu (54°53′22″N 5°54′35″W / 54.88949°N 5.90961°W), promontory fort[15]
- Larrybane (55°14′30″N 6°21′09″W / 55.24176°N 6.35254°W), promontory fort[16]
- Lurigethan (55°03′44″N 6°04′49″W / 55.06209°N 6.08029°W), promontory fort[17]
- Lyles Hill (54°40′44″N 6°03′59″W / 54.67882°N 6.06636°W), partial contour fort[18]
- McArt's Fort (54°38′50″N 5°56′53″W / 54.64715°N 5.94815°W), promontory fort[19]
County Armagh
edit- Forkill (54°04′38″N 6°26′12″W / 54.07717°N 6.4366°W), contour fort[20]
- Haughey's Fort (54°20′58″N 6°42′58″W / 54.34955°N 6.71625°W), multiple enclosure hillfort[21]
- Lisbanoe (54°19′22″N 6°41′11″W / 54.32265°N 6.68643°W), multiple enclosure hillfort[22]
County Down
edit- Coolnacran in Whyte's Estate, Loughbrickland.
- Downpatrick (54°19′39″N 5°43′21″W / 54.32743°N 5.72263°W), contour fort[23]
- Dromorebrague (54°18′39″N 6°15′28″W / 54.31084°N 6.2578°W), contour fort[24]
- Lisnagade (54°20′01″N 6°19′48″W / 54.333712°N 6.330055°W), earthen ringfort
- Magheraknock (54°26′02″N 5°55′44″W / 54.433881°N 5.929°W), contour fort[25]
County Fermanagh
editCounty Londonderry
edit- Dungannon Fort (55°09′24″N 6°48′33″W / 55.1567°N 6.80913°W), promontory fort[27]
- Tintagh (54°42′47″N 6°42′59″W / 54.71306°N 6.71651°W), promontory fort[28]
County Tyrone
edit- Aghnahoo (54°40′10″N 7°39′35″W / 54.66934°N 7.65978°W), multiple enclosure hillfort[29]
- Cabragh Fort (54°27′29″N 7°35′07″W / 54.4581°N 7.58521°W), contour fort[30]
- Clogher (54°24′27″N 7°10′17″W / 54.4075°N 7.17146°W), contour fort[31]
- Clogher Demesne (54°24′01″N 7°09′26″W / 54.40017°N 7.15729°W), contour fort[32]
- Freughmore (54°33′13″N 7°16′53″W / 54.55369°N 7.28132°W), contour fort[33]
- Lisbancarney (54°26′04″N 6°46′15″W / 54.4345°N 6.77071°W), multiple enclosure hillfort[34]
- Mallabeny (54°25′59″N 7°13′05″W / 54.433°N 7.21811°W), contour fort[35]
- Tycanny (54°28′04″N 7°08′02″W / 54.46773°N 7.13385°W), partial contour fort[36]
References
edit- ^ a b Morris, Steven (2017-06-21). "Hill fort hotspots in UK and Ireland mapped for first time in online atlas". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
- ^ Hawkes, Christopher (1931). "Hill-Forts". Antiquity. 5 (17): 60–97. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00005603. ISSN 0003-598X.
- ^ Cunliffe, Barrington Windsor (1974). Iron Age Communities in Britain: an account of England, Scotland and Wales from the seventh century BC until the Roman conquest. London: Routledge. OCLC 819799871.
- ^ Hamilton, Sue; Manley, John (2001). "Hillforts, monumentality and place: a chronological and topographic review of first millennium BC hillforts of south-east England". European Journal of Archaeology. 4 (1): 7–42. doi:10.1179/eja.2001.4.1.7. ISSN 1461-9571.
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