Enclosure, Larkhill, Co. Sligo

Co. Sligo |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Larkhill, Co. Sligo

An aerial photograph once revealed something that ground-level inspection alone would struggle to confirm: a neat oval enclosure cut into the pasture at Larkhill in County Sligo, its western arc absorbed into a field boundary running roughly north-north-east to south-south-west.

That photograph captured something that no longer exists in any obvious form. Both the enclosure and those field boundaries have since been levelled, leaving behind only the subtlest of impressions in the land.

What remains today is a slightly raised, level area roughly twenty-five metres in diameter, sitting on a small terrace on a north-east-facing slope of undulating pasture. Its north-west to south-east extent is loosely defined by a broadly sloping scarp, about 1.8 metres high, that gradually merges with the natural gradient of the hillside. A fainter scarp crosses the interior on a north-east to south-west line, hinting at some internal division or earlier phase of use. Enclosures of this kind, broadly circular or oval earthwork boundaries that once defined a farmstead, a ritual space, or a defended settlement, are among the more common archaeological features in the Irish landscape, yet their precise function and date are rarely straightforward to establish without excavation. Here, the ground rising immediately to the south and the way the surviving earthwork blends into the slope make it particularly difficult to read as a distinct human intervention rather than a natural feature.

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, Larkhill, 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