It’s quite difficult to see those features now, although there is a piece of the wall remaining, and what must be his ‘terrace.’ The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 1921 The Promontory Forts of Beare and Bantry: Part III, Thomas J Westropp The whole is tufted with luxuriant masses of rich crimson heather. As at Doonagh, I think that the line of debris on the peninsula along the edge of the chasm is a trace of a wall, and that the bare slope behind it was stripped by a landslip. Beyond this the neck was enclosed all round by a fence about 6 ft. and W.) behind, a natural abrupt ridge forms a banquette over 4 ft. First we find a trace of a hollow or fosse then the foundation of a drystone wall 82 ft. ![]() The neck is wider to the landward, and was strongly defended. The arch is lintelled, like a great Egyptian pylon, and is 15 ft. The adjoining townland is called Dunoure, but no fort is known to have existed near this, so perhaps that name refers to Gouladoo. This is spanned (like those at Doonagh and Dursey) by a natural arch. Here is his description of the fort as he found it then.įar to the west of Rinn, in Kilcrohane, is a remarkable fortified headland of dark grey slate, up tilted and separated from the mainland by a gully. Gouladoo, as his map shows, was one of his destinations. The antiquarian Thomas J Westropp set out to visit all the promontory forts along the Beara and Sheep’s Head in or around 1920 and has left us his account, written over three articles in the Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. This one has an added feature – sea arches underneath! The sea arches mean that this may eventually become an island. Promontories with narrow necks were usually chosen, as being easiest to defend, and archaeological evidence suggests that some were in use as early as the Bronze Age but most evidence of occupation dates to the Early and Later Medieval Period (400 -1500AD).Īs promontory forts go, this is a classic – a narrow neck with evidence of walls across it, steep cliffs on all sides, and a flat and verdant area in the middle for houses and cattle. Where you have a promontory jutting out into the sea it’s easily fortified by building banks and ditches at the neck. If you turn your back to the holy well, the promontory fort is straight ahead of you. The path down to it has been carved out of the hillside and roughly paved, indicating that this was a site to which many people once came. The well itself has a cup thoughtfully provided so you can have a drink if you dare. Read Amanda’s comprehensive account here.īecause this is on the Sheep’s Head Way, the route is signposted and maintained. Amanda’s research revealed that it did have a particular purpose, though – girls would visit to pray for a husband. The holy well first – it’s a Tobar Beannaithe, a Blessed Well, not associated with any particular saints. It also ticked a box for me as I’ve been wanting to visit promontory forts. ![]() (See the comments section below for a link to an amazing piece of art from our friend, the acclaimed photographer EJ Carr, who used this stone in his fantasy photography piece on the Arthurian legend – follow the link in the comment to view his images.)īeing with Amanda is always a great opportunity to visit a holy well and we had never been to Gouladoo. Footprint stones are also associated with inauguration sites, where kings were acclaimed in early medieval society. This must have been a mere pebble, because one of the missiles became the Fastnet Rock. Known as the Giant’s Footprint, the local legend tells a familiar story about two giants throwing rocks at each other. ![]() Our first stop was a curious stone overlooking Dunmanus Bay. Amazingly, given all the time we’ve spent there, only one of our stops was familiar. ![]() Amanda and Peter Clarke, our regular readers will know, are the couple behind Walking the Sheep’s Head Way, so who better to have as companions and guides for a day of exploring. Our trip there this week, in the excellent company of Amanda and Peter, was that sort of day, where we drove around and dropped in and out of interesting places. It’s not just for long walks – the Sheep’s Head is also perfect for wandering with intent, having, as my father used to say, a dander.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |