Hillfort in Dunmurry West

Outline of hillfort clearly visible on oblique aerial photograph (CUCAP AHL092) taken 26/06/1963. The upper portion of Dunmurry Hill (OD 769 feet) is girdled by a very poorly preserved, low, broad, grassed-over stoney bank (av. Wth 6m; int H 0.2-0.5m; ext. H 0.5-1.4m), augmented and reused as a townland boundary wall with Guidenstown South from NNW-NE, and reduced to a low scarp (H0.6m) at SE. (At NE the former townland boundary wall indicated on the OS 6-inch mapping has been levelled.) A large oval area is enclosed (diams. c. 370m NW-SE; c. 200m NE-SW) and contains a small enclosure (KD022-001002-) on the summit of the hill, with a small mound or possible cairn just to its E (KD022-001003-) and two possible hut sites downslope to the SSE (KD022-001004- and KD022-001005-). A large telecommunications compound has been built in the NW sector and a service road overlies the older enclosing element along the SW. The hillfort was recently described in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland as following; 'Oval fort situated surrounding the summit and SE facing slopes of Dunmurry Hill. The summit offers panoramic views in all directions. The univallate hillfort has a total site footprint of 6.3ha and comprises a poorly preserved, grass covered stoney bank up to 6m wide and 0.5m high, with no obvious ditch feature. A mound (probably prehistoric), two possible hut structures and a small enclosure are apparent within the interior of the hillfort. Interior under pasture with patches of scrub and gorse. There have been no archaeological investigations of this hillfort.' (http://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/records/IR0672.html). See attached image courtesy of Cambridge University Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 6 February 2020