Enclosure, Castle Ffrench, Co. Galway

Co. Galway |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Castle Ffrench, Co. Galway

A road cuts clean through the middle of this ancient enclosure near Castle Ffrench in County Galway, and on one side of it there is almost nothing left to see at all.

The western half has vanished entirely from the surface, swallowed by centuries of agricultural use, while the eastern portion persists as a series of low earthworks in undulating grassland. What survives is an irregular enclosure of considerable size, more than 116 metres east to west and 115 metres north to south, defined in the usual manner of such monuments by a raised inner bank, a fosse (a ditch dug between the banks to emphasise the boundary and, in some cases, provide material for construction), and an outer bank beyond that. The fosse and outer bank are legible only along the northern and north-eastern arc now. It is a fragmented thing, sliced and settled upon and quietly dissolving back into the land.

The interior holds its own complications. Several low banks run across it, possibly the traces of internal divisions that once subdivided the enclosed space, though their original purpose is not recorded. A modern field wall cuts through the southern half on a roughly south-east to south-west axis, adding another layer of later interference. Most striking of all, a private burial ground occupies the south-eastern portion of the site, overlying the inner bank at that point. The juxtaposition is not unusual in the Irish landscape, where early enclosures were frequently reused or built upon in later centuries, sacred associations sometimes persisting across long stretches of time even as the original function was forgotten. A large pit lies just outside the inner bank in the best-preserved sector, between east-south-east and south-south-east, though what it represents is unclear from what remains on the surface.

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, Castle Ffrench, Co. Galway. 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