What is recorded here

Half a kilometre of cliff edge narrows to a twenty-two-metre throat where two ancient banks still block the way. Beyond them, a second ridge of stone and soil crosses the neck again, as if the land itself learned to defend its own tip. People may have watched ships, hidden from storms, or simply kept others out of a place they loved. The sea has taken most of what they built, but the narrow gap and double barrier remain, proof that even a small headland can belong to someone.

Dromgour/Drom Gabhar. This long, narrow, steep-sided promontory is located on steep cliffs midway between Portmagee Channel and St Finan's Bay. It extends SW from its landward end for a distance of c. 260m and is crossed by two lines of defences, positioned 35m apart. The outermost of these lines consists of two banks that span the 22m wide promontory neck and are separated by a level area measuring 6.3m wide. They average .8m in external height and 2m in basal width. Westropp recorded the destruction of a substantial drystone wall which surmounted the outermost bank; it averaged 7 feet (2.13m) thick, and was formed of large blocks that measured up to 1.3m long and 1m high (1912, 312). A single earthen bank constitutes the second line of defence, and occurs where the promontory is only 6.8m wide. This bank measures .5m high externally, is 1m wide, and falls .8m to the interior. An ill-defined break at its NW end may represent the remains of an entrance. A ridge of rock outcrop forms a natural defence 26m further SW, beyond which there are no apparent features. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 448. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013

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