Enclosure, Kildun More, Co. Mayo

Co. Mayo |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Kildun More, Co. Mayo

In the townland of Kildun More, in County Mayo, there is a feature in the landscape recorded simply as an enclosure.

That word, so plain on paper, covers an enormous range of possibilities in the Irish archaeological record. An enclosure might be a ringfort, the circular earthen or stone-walled farmstead used by early medieval families between roughly the fifth and twelfth centuries. It might be a cashel, the same idea built in drystone rather than earth. It might be a ceremonial enclosure of far greater antiquity, a boundary that once defined a space set apart from the ordinary world. Without further detail, the designation itself becomes the most interesting thing about it.

Kildun More sits in Mayo, a county whose landscape holds a disproportionate density of ancient settlement remains, from megalithic field systems preserved beneath blanket bog to early Christian enclosures clustered around long-vanished monasteries. The townland name itself may carry traces of older meaning, with the element "dun" suggesting a fort or defended place in Irish. Whether that reflects the enclosure now recorded there, or some earlier feature entirely absorbed into local memory and place-name, is the kind of question the site itself cannot yet answer.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Enclosure, Kildun More, Co. Mayo. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement