Enclosure, Grangebeg, Co. Tipperary

Co. Tipperary |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Grangebeg, Co. Tipperary

What looks at first glance like a slightly uneven field in County Tipperary turns out, on closer inspection, to be something considerably more complex.

At the western end of a long rectangular field near Grangebeg, a cluster of at least nine separate enclosures sits quietly on flat ground, the surrounding terrain rolling gently away to the east. Enclosures of this kind, defined by earthen banks and scarps, were once a fundamental feature of the Irish landscape, used variously for settlement, agriculture, or the management of livestock, though the precise function of any given example is rarely straightforward to determine.

The earthworks here correspond, at least in part, to features recorded on the second edition Ordnance Survey six-inch map of 1906, suggesting they were visible and mappable over a century ago, even if their origins are considerably older. The most substantial element is a large area measuring roughly 90 metres east to west and 43.5 metres north to south, defined by a bank along its western edge and by a scarp, a cut or slope in the ground surface, along its northern and eastern sides. Within the western portion of this larger scarped area sits a sub-rectangular enclosure, approximately 20 metres by 15 metres, whose banks are so low and flattened as to be barely legible in the grass. A farm road has since cut through the southern portion of the larger area, truncating whatever boundary or feature once continued there. Further enclosures lie to the north of the main complex and immediately to the east, nested within the larger scarped ground, giving the whole site a layered, accumulated quality rather than the appearance of a single planned construction.

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, Grangebeg, Co. Tipperary. 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