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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Souterrain

Curraghalane, County Donegal, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 1st edition (1829–1842) covering the location of Souterrain, Curraghalane, County Donegal, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 1st edition (1829–1842), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Curraghalane
County
Donegal
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
54.82171, -7.49798
SMR number
DG070-082----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1881 map "Ireland to Illustrate the Military Condition of the Country." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1881 · Ireland to Illustrate the Military Condition of the Country. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1900 · Ireland (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1922 · Ireland - northern section. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

In a tillage field, located on a low elevation in hilly terrain.
This souterrain was discovered in April 2019 when a stone roof lintel was dislodged during ploughing. The surface opening (1.7n NW-SE; 1m NE-SW), created by the collapse of the roof lintel, revealed a roughly circular chamber (diam. 3m; H 2.5-3m), constructed of a well-built drystone wall comprising small to medium-sized stones. The chamber walls are corbelled, giving the chamber a bee-hive shape in profile. Due to safety concerns, it was not possible to enter the chamber, but a small lintelled opening was visible in the wall at N; this may be a recess/cupboard or it may mark a very small creepway-type entrance to a passage. The displaced lintel was visible lying on the floor of the chamber. The surface open to the chamber has been covered and sealed to protect the souterrain.

Attached images:
DG070-082----_01.JPG Surface opening caused by collapse of roof slab.
DG070-082----_02.JPG Drystone wall of circular chamber.
DG070-082----_03.JPG Arrow points to small opening in N side of chamber; collapsed roof lintel visible on floor of chamber.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 16 April 2019

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Souterrain in Donegal All County Donegal records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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