Marked as a ‘Fort’ on the first edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, this ringfort occupied a naturally defensive rocky promontory that rose up to 3 metres high in places. The site’s strategic placement in an area of generally fertile land suggests it may have served as both a defensive structure and a focal point for local agricultural activity.

The fort’s most distinctive feature was its eastern defensive line, where archaeological evidence indicates the presence of a substantial bank or wall that would have provided additional protection to this more vulnerable approach. Unfortunately, these defensive earthworks have not survived the passage of time, leaving only the natural rock outcrop to hint at the site’s former significance. The choice of location, utilising the natural defensive qualities of the rocky promontory whilst reinforcing weaker points with constructed defences, demonstrates the practical military knowledge of its builders.

This site was documented as part of the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, compiled by Brian Lacey and his team in 1983. The survey, which catalogued field antiquities from the Mesolithic Period through to the 17th century, provides valuable insights into Donegal’s rich archaeological heritage. Though the physical remains at Carnowen are now limited, the site represents one of many such ringforts that once dotted the Irish landscape, serving as defended homesteads for local families during the early medieval period.