Enclosure, Rosserk, Co. Mayo
Co. Mayo |
Enclosures
Rosserk, on the eastern bank of the Moy estuary in County Mayo, is best known for its Franciscan friary, a remarkably well-preserved fifteenth-century complex that draws most of the attention from anyone passing through.
Less remarked upon is an enclosure in the same townland, a feature that sits quietly in the landscape without the friary's obvious stonework to announce itself. Enclosures of this kind, broadly defined as areas bounded by earthen banks, ditches, or field walls, appear throughout Ireland in many forms and periods, from early medieval ringforts to monastic precincts to simple pastoral boundaries, and distinguishing between them often requires close examination of the ground and its context.
Rosserk's position near a tidal river made it an attractive site across many centuries. The friary was founded around 1441, traditionally associated with the Bourke family, and the area around it would likely have seen activity well before and after that date. An enclosure in this setting could relate to any number of phases of that long occupation, whether as a precinct boundary, an earlier settlement feature, or a later agricultural arrangement. Without more detailed survey information having been made available for this particular monument, its precise character, date, and relationship to the surrounding landscape remain open questions.