Historical reports from the early 1970s, including Herity’s 1971 survey and another from 1978, both documented the existence of a defensive structure somewhere in this area. Yet when archaeologists returned to investigate more thoroughly, they found themselves standing in rough pasture dotted with rocky outcrops, searching for something that apparently no longer existed; or perhaps never did in the form they expected.

The mystery deepens with local testimony pointing towards a neighbouring site in Kinnakillew townland, where residents insist a fort once stood. Despite these persistent local traditions, archaeological surveys have found no physical evidence to support these claims; no earthworks, no defensive ditches, no telltale signs in the landscape that would normally betray the presence of such a structure. This disconnect between oral history and archaeological evidence raises intriguing questions about what exactly was seen and recorded in those earlier surveys.

The information comes from the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983, which catalogued field antiquities from the Mesolithic period through to the 17th century. This particular entry, last updated in September 2008, serves as a reminder that Ireland’s archaeological landscape is constantly being reassessed and reinterpreted, with some sites proving more elusive than others. Whether the Leathchoill fort was a misidentification, a structure that has since been completely destroyed, or something else entirely, remains one of Donegal’s minor archaeological puzzles.