Souterrain, Colgagh, Co. Sligo

Co. Sligo |

Settlement Sites

Souterrain, Colgagh, Co. Sligo

Inside the earthen enclosure of a rath in Colgagh, County Sligo, a shallow rectangular depression sits quietly in the ground, measuring roughly four metres east to west and just over a metre across, with a narrow U-shaped base.

It is not dramatic to look at, barely a foot deep, but what it may represent is considerably more interesting: the collapsed remains of a souterrain, an underground stone-lined passage or chamber built during the early medieval period, typically used for storage, refuge, or ventilation within a settlement.

Souterrains were commonly constructed within raths, the circular enclosed farmsteads that were the standard unit of rural life in early medieval Ireland, and this feature lies to the west-northwest of the Colgagh rath's centre. The difficulty here is that no lintels, the flat stones that would have formed the roof, and no side walling are visible at the surface. Their absence makes a confident identification impossible. What remains could be the ghost of a passageway whose stone fabric was long ago robbed out or has sunk entirely below the current ground level. The depression itself is the only evidence, a faint signature in the soil where something once existed underground.

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 Souterrain, Colgagh, Co. Sligo. 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