Inch Fort | |
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County Donegal Ireland | |
![]() Gun emplacement overlooking Lough Swilly | |
Site information | |
Open to the public | No |
Condition | Intact, part demolished |
Location | |
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Coordinates | 55°05′03″N7°30′55″W / 55.0842°N 7.5153°W /55.0842; -7.5153 |
Site history | |
Built | 1812-1813 Reconstructed 1895-1899 |
Materials | Stone Concrete Earth |
Garrison information | |
Garrison | British Armed Forces |
Inch Fort,Lough Swilly,Inishowen,County Donegal was built between 1812 and 1813, during theNapoleonic Wars. It had positions for nine guns, six in an open battery and a further three in a blockhouse.[1] Following the peace in 1815, the defences of Lough Swilly were neglected.
During the 1880s a scheme to strengthen the defences in Lough Swilly was put into effect. By 1893 Inch Fort had been rearmed with two 6-inch guns on hydropneumatic carriages.[2] A small barrack complex was added at the same time. Following recommendations of the Owen Committee in 1905, the guns were deemed surplus and the fort was disarmed and abandoned.[3][4]
Today the site includes the two 6-inch gun positions and associated magazines, but the Napoleonic blockhouse was mostly demolished during the 1890s remodelling.[citation needed]