Field system

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, on the Deer Park of Cahir Guillamore House located 290m to NE. Not depicted on OSi historic maps. According to Dowd (1896, 80), ‘Certain mounds in the demesne of Caherguillamore have been assumed to be the foundations of extensive buildings, and modern work refers to them as being “the remains of an ancient city of great extent”. Described by O’Kelly (1943, 232-3) as: ‘Medieval village and complex of other remains of various periods. This complex of monuments covers some 500 acres in area and includes the remains of a group of houses, ancient field fences, roads and forts’.
Ó Ríordáin and Hunt (1942, 42-3) described the site as, ‘that of square or oblong fields, usually bounded by straight lines, but sometimes by curves or other irregular outlines. The size of the fields varies considerably but the pattern is the usual chequerpattern exemplified in the existing field-system throughout Ireland. For the most part, the early field banks bear no relation to the modern system in this area, which, with its large enclosed spaces of deer-park, etc., is not normal to the Irish country-side, and is due to the 18th century demesne system. It will be noted, however, that in some instances the older banks coincide or align with the recent ones; this may, to some extent, be coincidence, but must also in places be due to survival, an earlier bank continuing to be used in the later system. Further, a close study of the air photograph shows that the old fields are not all coeval, and that changes were made in their outline at various times. It is not easy to make this clear in words, but, in general, we would suggest that the smaller, more irregular, fields near the eastern margin of the air photograph are earlier than the larger ones to the north-west (i.e., S. and S.W. of the ornamental pond at Caherguillamore House). We would also point out that fields of different dates may be noted in this latter area, since traces of cultivation furrows may be seen crossing the marks of earlier field walls. This suggestion is further strengthened by the fact that in the case of forts A and B (which latter is outside the area of the photograph), the field banks tend to radiate from the forts, showing that the forts had some significance, either because of occupation or otherwise, when the field walls were built. In the case of No. 2 there is no such respect shown for the fort, and in fact the builders of the bank on the south-west constructed it across the rampart, cutting off a narrow segment’.
Upstanding monument identified as an extensive field system and is clearly visible on oblique aerial photograph taken 20/07/1968 (CUCAP ATD034). Monument is visible extending across a wide landscape covering at least 65ha/160 acres of pasture, spanning both sides of the approach road running N-S into Cahir Guillamore estate, and potentially extending further E across the townland of Rockbarton and further to S of the public road into the townland of Ballynanty. This field system consists of numerous linear and curvilinear earthworks and cropmarks suggesting an earlier field pattern and incorporates 31 recorded monuments (LI031-041001-/041031-). Monument is visible on aerial photograph (ASIAP 307, 3 & 5), although it is best seen on OSi orthoimages taken 2005-2012, on Digital Globe orthoimages taken 2011-2013 and on Google Earth orthoimage taken 20/09/2020.

See attached Google Earth orthoimage, ASIAP and CUCAP aerial survey image with field system annotated in pink, aerial image (Ó Ríordáin & Hunt 1942, 40) marked Figure 1 and key to aerial image marked Figure 2.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 3 November 2020

References

O'Kelly, M.J. 1942-3 A survey of the antiquities in the barony of Small County, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 3, 75-97, 169-84, 222-46.

Dowd, J. 1896 Round about the County of Limerick. Limerick. G. McKern & Sons.

Ó Ríordáin, S. P. & Hunt, J. 1942 Mediaeval dwellings at Caherguillamore, Co. Limerick. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 37-63.

ASIAP - Archaeological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1996 - c. 2010).

CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com