Enclosure, Ballygolman, Co. Mayo

Co. Mayo |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Ballygolman, Co. Mayo

In the townland of Ballygolman in County Mayo, an enclosure sits in the landscape, recorded and mapped but not yet fully described.

Enclosures of this kind, circular or sub-circular boundaries defined by earthen banks, ditches, or stone walls, appear throughout Ireland in their thousands, and their purposes range widely: some enclosed early medieval farmsteads, others served as cattle pounds, burial grounds, or ceremonial spaces. The fact that one is noted here at all suggests something survives above ground, or at least survived long enough to be plotted by surveyors, but the details of its form, its date, and its condition remain, for now, out of easy reach.

Ballygolman is a small townland in Mayo, a county where the archaeological landscape is dense and often poorly documented. The enclosure has been assigned a monument record, which places it within the formal inventory of Irish archaeological sites, but the substance of that record has not yet been made publicly available. This is not unusual. Ireland contains tens of thousands of recorded monuments, and the work of researching, digitising, and publishing detailed information about each one is ongoing. What the record's existence does confirm is that this feature was considered significant enough to log, to give a number, and to preserve in principle, even if the story behind it remains unwritten in any accessible form.

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, Ballygolman, 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