Dunbeg

Also known as:
Dun Beg
Nearest town:
Cahershiveen (21km ESE)
OS reference:
V349973
OS sheet:
70
Latitude:
52° 6' 11.13 N
Longitude:
10° 24' 35.71 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Dunbeg (Cliff Fort) by tjj

Dunbeg fort surrounded by barbed wire and No Entry signs because of serious damage caused by storms.

Image credit: tjj
tjj
tjj Jun 5, 2014

Articles

Dunbeg

tjj
tjj Jun 5, 2014

Visited 18th May 2014
Dunbeg Fort is closed to visitors at present because of the serious damage caused by the winter storms. Visitors are allowed to walk down to it but no access to the site – it is clear to try and enter would be dangerous. The woman in the audio-visual centre told us that engineers had recently undertaken a structural survey and there is hope that some of the damage can be repaired with limited access allowed later in the summer.
The following information is taken from the audio-visual leaflet.
“Dunbeg Fort is a small but impressive example of a promontory fort but its location makes it even more dramatic. Built on a sheer cliff, its archaeological excavation was undertaken in the late 1970s. There are two major phases of occupation recorded. The first phase was around the 8th and 9th centuries AD. Clusters of stake holes to the north and south of the fort indicated the presence of wooden tripods for supporting pots and skins over the fire. Analysis of the occupation debris suggests a diet mainly of pigs, sheep and goats with some cows.
The second phase of occupation lay above the first phase and was around the 10th and 11th centuries AD. It was concentrated on two hearths in the centre of the Beehive (clochan). The bones of sheep, pig, deer, birds and fish were also recorded. But the excavation results did not reveal what the site was used for; it may have been defensive, or used for ritual or even status purposes, or it may simply have just been lived in.”

Some lovely examples of clochans/beehive huts nearby on the hillside.

Dunbeg

bawn79
bawn79 Sep 23, 2009

This site is just off the road on the Slea Head drive. When we visited in September 2009 there was a charge of €2.50 to see it. You also get a photocopied information sheet
Its a nice site but not worth that kind of cover charge.
The audio-visual experience is extra, we didnt go for this however.

Topics

Storm damage to Dunbeg Promontory Fort 5
bogman
bogman
Feb 2014
Gone 17
nigelswift
nigelswift
Mar 2005

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