Souterrain, Pollaweela, Co. Mayo

Co. Mayo |

Settlement Sites

Souterrain, Pollaweela, Co. Mayo

Beneath the southern half of a rath in Pollaweela, County Mayo, there may be a souterrain that no one has seen in living memory.

The ground gives nothing away. No depression, no hollow, no tell-tale subsidence marks the spot. The structure, if it is there, exists entirely in local tradition.

A rath is a roughly circular earthen enclosure, typically dating from the early medieval period and associated with a farmstead or settlement. They are common enough across Ireland, but what makes this one worth noting is the oral memory attached to it. Souterrains, which are underground stone-lined passages or chambers built beneath or beside such enclosures, were used variously for storage, refuge, or ventilation, and they are usually detectable, even when long disused, by some surface irregularity. Here, there is none. The tradition persists without any physical evidence to anchor it, which places this site in a curious category: not lost exactly, but unconfirmed, a structure remembered without being visible.

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 Souterrain, Pollaweela, 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