Enclosure, An Machaire, Co. Donegal

Enclosure, An Machaire, Co. Donegal

Located just 35 metres from the western shoreline of Casloughtermon inlet in County Donegal, this enigmatic enclosure sits in a field locally known as Rath Liath, or the Grey Fort.

Enclosure, An Machaire, Co. Donegal

The roughly square enclosure measures about 7 metres on each side and consists of a slightly sunken area surrounded by a low grass-covered bank of earth and stone, standing about half a metre high. Though no clear entrance is visible today, the site offers commanding views across to Templecrone Church, some 380 metres to the northeast.

What makes this site particularly intriguing is its context within the wider landscape. Just 20 metres to the west lies what appears to be a stone circle, whilst traces of a possible field system and other low earthworks immediately surrounding the enclosure suggest this monument may have served as some form of dwelling. The remains of what looks like a terraced ramp or ancient road can still be traced leading up from the shoreline to the west of the enclosure, hinting at the site’s former connection to the water’s edge.



Despite its apparent significance to the local community, who have preserved its Gaelic name through generations, this enclosure wasn’t recorded on Ordnance Survey maps until relatively recently. It appears on the 1:5000 scale maps but is notably absent from all earlier six-inch editions, suggesting it may have been overlooked or perhaps too degraded to warrant inclusion in earlier surveys. Today, it stands as a quiet reminder of the area’s long history of settlement, its low banks barely distinguishable from the surrounding field yet still marking out this ancient space.

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An Machaire, Co. Donegal
54.93608607, -8.44686622
54.93608607,-8.44686622
An Machaire 
Enclosures 

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