Ringfort, Doocashel Glebe, Co. Donegal

Ringfort, Doocashel Glebe, Co. Donegal

In the forest clearings above Ards Strand in County Donegal, there once stood a circular enclosure that has since vanished from the landscape.

Ringfort, Doocashel Glebe, Co. Donegal

The only evidence of its existence comes from the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, which recorded it as a single-ringed circular earthwork. Today, visitors to Doocashel Glebe will find no physical trace of this ancient structure; the forest has reclaimed the site completely, leaving only the documentary record to hint at what once occupied this elevated position overlooking the strand to the south.

This ringfort, like many throughout Ireland, likely dates from the early medieval period when such defensive homesteads dotted the countryside. These circular enclosures, typically surrounded by earthen banks and ditches, served as fortified farmsteads for prosperous families. The strategic placement of this particular fort, with its commanding views over Ards Strand, would have provided both security and control over the surrounding landscape. The fact that it appears on 19th-century maps but has since disappeared speaks to the fragility of these archaeological features when exposed to agricultural improvement, forestry, or simple neglect.



The site was documented as part of the comprehensive Archaeological Survey of County Donegal, conducted in 1983, which catalogued field antiquities from the Mesolithic period through to the 17th century. While the physical ringfort has been lost, its inclusion in this survey ensures that future generations will know of its existence and location, even if they cannot walk its banks or stand within its enclosure as countless generations once did.

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Doocashel Glebe, Co. Donegal
55.14737956, -7.91191862
55.14737956,-7.91191862
Doocashel Glebe 
Ringforts 

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