What is recorded here

Eight metres of hollow ground cut across the neck of the headland, forcing every invading foot into a narrow causeway where shadows waited in the postern gate below. Doe Castle later rose inside that ancient trap, its stone walls weaving through defenses already shaped by hands forgotten before written history. The sea remains the true guardian, pulling back at low tide to reveal how little human stone matters against the patience of water.

In fertile pasture on a lowlying north-eastern facing promontory in Sheephaven Bay stands the ruins of Doe Castle, a 16th century keep (DG02-023001-) and later extensions set within a sub-rectangular bawn (DG026-023003-). The enclosing curtain wall is defended by three bartizans and a three-quarter flanker at the NE angle. An angled ravelin juts out into the bay at northeast. The site is also defended by an 8m wide fosse across the neck of the headland with a causeway now supporting an enclosed defended gateway with subterranean postern gate beneath. Two recent external stone walls cross the isthmus parallel to the fosse and a faint earthen bank suggests the former presence of a defensive bank. The whole site was the subject of many restorations and rebuilding in the past, with 19th century landscaping efforts obliterating many original defensive features. This description is derived from a survey of promontory forts undertaken by Markus Casey for the Heritage Council: Casey, M. 2001 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 Unpublished specialist report, National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Date of upload: 27 September 2019

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