Enclosure, Clogher More, Co. Sligo

Co. Sligo |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Clogher More, Co. Sligo

On a steep, north-east-facing slope at Clogher More, a roughly rectangular enclosure measuring around twenty metres by twenty-five metres was recorded on a map, and then, in a sense, disappeared.

It does not announce itself with earthworks or exposed stonework. There is, according to those who have looked, no surface trace visible at ground level. What survives is cartographic rather than physical, an outline on paper where something once stood or was enclosed.

The enclosure's story is largely a story of absence and timing. When the Ordnance Survey produced its six-inch map series in 1837, no enclosure was marked at this location. By the time the 1912 edition was compiled, it appeared, depicted as a roughly rectangular feature set into the mixed mature deciduous woodland that covers the slope. Whether that gap reflects the enclosure's construction, its rediscovery by surveyors, or simply an earlier oversight is impossible to say with the evidence available. Enclosures of this kind in Ireland range widely in age and function, from early medieval farmsteads to post-medieval field boundaries, and without excavation or further survey, this one offers no clear indication of which tradition it belongs to. The woodland itself may be partly responsible for its invisibility; tree roots, leaf mould, and shifting ground over decades can reduce even substantial earthworks to nothing a visitor would recognise underfoot.

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, Clogher More, 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