House - indeterminate date

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture on the Burren plateau, at the SE edge of an escarpment running NE–SW, within a multiperiod field system (CL005-108001-). Indicated and labelled ‘Ballyconnoe Ho. (in ruins)’ on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. Listed as ‘House - medieval’ in the RMP (1996). Drawn and labelled ‘Ballyconnoe Ho. (in ruins)’ on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. Labelled ‘Cabhail Bhaile Uí Connúdh (?)’ on Robinson’s map (1977). The OS Letters record that ‘In the Townland of Ballyconnoe in this Parish is shewn the ruins of the house of O’Connoe or O’Conway More, after whom this Townland was named, and who, as tradition avers, used to hold a market near this house while he flourished. In the Caithreim Thoirdhealbhaigh or Wars of Torlogh O’Brien, written by John, the son of Rory McGrath in the year 1459, this family is called O’Conduibh’ (Comber 1997, 73). ). Only a fragment of the N wall (L 10m; Wth 0.9m; H 2m) of the house survives. It is built of roughly dressed stone. An opening (Wth 1.7m) in the centre of it is partly blocked up. There is a lintelled recess in the S face. A low grassed-over mound of rubble (9m N-S) lies immediately to the S of the wall. A window sillstone protruding from the ground at its S edge is most likely from the house. Due to the lack of surviving architectural features it is difficult to date this house. It may be of post-medieval date or later. There is a possible bawn (CL009-004005-) to the S of the mound. A number of houses, possibly associated, lie close by - see CL009-004001-, CL009-004002-, CL009-004003- and CL009-004004-. A road/trackway (CL009-004007-) may also be associated.

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 6 January 2022

References

Record of Monuments and Places as established under Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, County Clare. Issued by National Monuments and Historic Properties Service 1996. Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.

Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis.