Enclosure, Keerglen, Co. Mayo

Co. Mayo |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Keerglen, Co. Mayo

On a steep mountainside in County Mayo, where the land drops sharply down to the Keerglen River, there is a small D-shaped enclosure that does not appear on any edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch maps.

That absence is itself telling. The OS six-inch series, produced from the 1830s onwards, was among the most thorough cartographic exercises ever carried out in Ireland, covering even minor field boundaries and ruined structures. Whatever this enclosure is, or was, it slipped through unrecorded.

The structure measures roughly 15.8 metres east to west and just 5.6 metres north to south, giving it an unusually narrow, flattened profile. Its southern side is defined by a curving wall of drystone masonry, now grass-covered, while the northern boundary is formed not by any built element but by the steep bank of the Keerglen River itself. Drystone construction, which uses no mortar and relies entirely on the careful fitting of stones, is common across the west of Ireland and spans many periods, making it difficult to date such features without excavation. The ground within is raised, suggesting the interior was deliberately built up or that it has accumulated material over time. About 100 metres to the west sits a cashel, a type of stone-walled ringfort typically associated with early medieval settlement, and the proximity of the two features hints at a landscape that was once more actively used than its current rough and mountainous appearance might suggest.

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, Keerglen, 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: 50 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.