Doonan Fairy Fort

Internal diam. c. 26m. A subcircular area formerly enclosed by an earthen bank only half of which survives on the W side and now adjoins a field boundary to the E. It is situated in slightly wet pasture on a low rise. Excavation licence number 99E0420 Monitoring of topsoil-stripping for a proposed hotel at Doonan and Mullins townlands, Co. Donegal, was carried out by Donald Murphy of Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd, under licence No. 99E0420. The site is close to an earthen ringfort listed as site 1014 in the Archaeological Survey of Donegal and 93:12 in the Record of monuments and places for County Donegal. The topsoil was stripped by mechanical excavator. The sod and topsoil came directly down onto the natural boulder clay at an average depth of 0.4m. The only feature exposed was an old sewerage pipe of red earthenware along the new road. Finds from the topsoil included black glass, blue and white tin-glazed earthenware, Willow Pattern pottery, some rimsherds of unglazed earthenware and some white delft ware. No further archaeological work was necessary at the site. Testing was carried out at Doonan, Co. Donegal, on 9 and 10 January 2007 by Declan Moore of Moore Archaeological & Environmental Services Ltd, under licence No.07E0002. The proposed development involves the construction of 49 dwelling houses (NGR 191300 / 378800), the demolition of a derelict house and shed and the installation of all ancillary services. The subject area is located 300m to the southwest of DG093–012----, a ringfort. Outline planning permission to build was granted by Donegal County Council subject to an assessment prepared on the basis of at least one trial-trench. A preliminary site assessment was carried out in 2006 involving a field inspection. The site occupies an irregular area located in the townland of Doonan, situated north of the N56 Donegal–Killybegs road and east of a river that flows through Duncan’s Bridge. The site can be divided in two, between boggy marginal pasture to the north and better grazing land to the south. Two features were noted during the inspection: a recumbent stone to the south-west of the subject areas and a possible fulacht fiadh to the south near Rosslee House. Each field had a minimum of one linear trench mechanically excavated through it. Testing exposed a generally uniform stratigraphy consisting of sod and topsoil on boulder clay on the dryer more elevated ground and mossy grass and rushes overlying marly clay and peat in the more low-lying ground. Testing near the recumbent stone failed to produce any archaeological finds or features; however, heat-fractured stone in a charcoal-rich matrix was exposed in the vicinity of the possible fulacht fiadh (Bennett 2010, 77-8). 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. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 18 November 2011