Ned's Point Fort is a coastal fortification located on Ned's Point, near the town of Buncrana on the western shore of Lough Swilly in County Donegal, Ireland. It is one of several Napoleonic-era batteries built along the shores of Lough Swilly as part of a broader scheme to fortify Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle against the threat of French invasion during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Construction and Design
The fort's current form largely dates to works completed between 1812 and 1813. It originally comprised a rectangular blockhouse mounting two guns and a supporting battery mounting four guns, with the entire structure surrounded by a ditch. The design of the defensible guardhouse or tower is considered a relatively rare example of its type, with parallel examples found at the mouth of the Shannon, at Shannonbridge, and at Rathmullan.
Later Modifications
Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the defences were neglected and not updated for several decades. By 1874, the fort was armed with two 5.5-inch howitzers in the tower and four 24-pounder smoothbore guns in the main battery.
In the 1890s, the fort was remodeled as a battery equipped with two 6-inch guns on hydropneumatic mountings. This renovation included the construction of a central underground magazine complex, and the height of the tower or blockhouse was reduced. Additionally, two practice batteries were constructed for six 64-pounder guns and four 5-inch breech-loading (BL) guns.
Decommissioning
In 1905, the Owen Committee recommended that the fort be disarmed. This was completed by 1907, and no armament was listed at the fort in a report dated 1913. The garrison appears to have been withdrawn the following year.
Current Status
The fort remains substantially intact, along with the practice batteries. Parts of the site were restored by Buncrana Town Council in the 1990s, with additional restoration work undertaken as of 2012. While there are a number of walking routes in the area, the fort itself is not open to the public. The site is owned by the local authority and is recognized in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
