What is recorded here

Dooneen holds a broken earthen ring on the NE shore of Ballynakill Lough, its scarp still marking most of a subcircular plan while pasture and burrows disturb the inside. It faces west across open water, with Maumfin hill rising behind and another enclosure waiting a short distance south. A rectangular structure later leaned against the southwest edge, as if the old ring had stopped being enough. The fort may have watched the lake, controlled a landing place, or simply kept people safe from the weather and whatever came up from the water.

On the shore of a small headland at the NE end of Ballynakill Lough, in an area of rough pastureland sloping to the SW. The land rises steeply to Maumfin hill to the NW. There are good views to the S and particularly to the W. This possible earthen rath (39.9m N-S; 32.6m E-W), subcircular in plan, is defined by a scarp from N through E to S and W and by traces of a bank (int. H 0.2m; Wth 0.8m; base Wth 2.15m; ext. H 0.45m), fosse (Wth 1.35m) and counterscarp bank (H 0.15m) from W to N. The monument is clear of overgrowth and lazy beds run across it in an ENE-WSW direction. The interior rises towards the centre where there is some evidence of disturbance. A number of large burrow holes are also visible. The enclosing scarp is truncated at SW where a subrectangular structure (GA022-122001-) was built against it. There is an enclosure (GA022-075----) c. 120m to the S on a small promontory jutting into the lake. The monument was brought to the attention of the Archaeological Survey of Ireland by Helen Riekstiņš. The following images have been uploaded: GA022-122----_01.jpg W sector from S GA022-122----_02.jpg View from SW Compiled by: Olive Alcock Edited by: Olive Alcock Date of revised upload: 13 June 2023

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