What is recorded here

Belmont Hill rises above undulating Galway grassland, carrying a subcircular fort one hundred seventy metres long. Its bank, outer ditch and two causewayed entrances still mark the summit, while a modern stone wall hides older outer works beneath its base. People may have gathered there to watch weather, keep livestock or remember the dead, since a graveyard lies nearby. The fort remains large enough to enter, measure and imagine without inventing more than the earth already shows.

Encompassing the summit of Belmont Hill in undulating grassland. A large subcircular enclosure (N-S 170m, E-W 150m), in fair condition, defined by a bank and external fosse. Traces of an outer bank are visible beneath the modern stone wall which encloses the hill summit and Raftery (1976, 90) also noted traces of an outer fosse especially at S. An internal stone-facing is visible along the inner bank at E. There are entrances at S (Wth 5.5m) and W (Wth 3m), both with corresponding causeways across the fosse: Raftery (ibid., 90-91) suggests that the latter may be modern. A graveyard (GA015-016001-) is associated. (Costello 1902b, 109; Knox 1911a, 109) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

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