What is recorded here

Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Gortnagole is an oval Donegal chamber, fifty metres long and forty wide, where a collapsed wall still stands knee-high beside a huge rock outcrop. The floor drops five metres from west to east, not like a fortress but like a stage tilted for rain or ritual. People may have gathered there to mark the edge of cultivated ground and bogland, while the fairies kept the sloping dark for themselves.

Internal diam. 50m N-S, 40m EW. An oval area enclosed by a collapsed stone wall surviving up to 1.5m in places. The wall has several gaps and is missing altogether on the E side. In the SW sector is a huge piece of rock outcrop otherwise the interior is even but is markedly sloped from W to E falling as much as 5m. It is situated in a command-ing position, on the edge of cultivated ground and bogland, but there is higher land to the NW which together with the slope obviates a defensive purpose. It is very overgrown. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

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