Clapper bridge

The National Monuments Service's description

Site of clapper (claperium meaning pile of stones) bridge over the Camoge River at the NE side of the village of Knockainey annotated as 'Cloghaunainy' (Clochán Áine) on the current ed. OS 6-inch map and as 'Stepping Stones' on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map. Only a few stones possibly belonging to this clapper bridge remains visible above the water of the Camoge River. The bridge was described in 1917 as following; 'This interesting structure spans the Camoge River near the village. It is attributed to Áine, the daughter of an early Munster king. From her the parish and the adjoining hill are named; the bridge also preserves her name, being known as Clochaunainey: the impressions of her footsteps are pointed out on the stones. The arrangement of the bridge seems to show the way in which regular bridge building developed from the simpler stepping stones. The latter are usually large blocks placed in the stream, intervals to allow the water to run between. The next step would be to place flagstones from one another, so as to provide a continuous pathway. Clochaunainey shows a further step; for here small stones are used to support the flags, the weight of which is relied on to hold them in position against the force of the current. The flagstones used are from 12 to 14 inches [0.3-03.5m] thick, and the largest is 8 feet 3 inches [2.5m] in length by 6 feet 3 inches [1.9m] in breadth. About a hundred and twenty yards lower down, the river into a wide channel, and there is a shallow ford (LI032-141012-) for vehicles. Near the centre of the ford three large stones are set upright in a line, so as to mark the position of the safe crossing in time of floods' (Crawford 1917, 82). According to O'Kelly (1944, 23) the bridge was removed in 1930 to make room for a modern bridge. O'Keeffe and Simington (1991, 73) recorded that the bridge 'was bypassed by a small reinforced concrete bridge in 1924 and removed under drainage works in 1931. It may have been rebuilt and improved over the centuries, but it is typical of what must have been the first type of stone bridge built in Ireland'. A local photograph of the upstanding bridge dating from 1924 shows the construction details of this structure (O'Keeffe and Simington 1991, 107).

See attached plan and elevation of Knockainey Clapper Bridge taken from Crawford 1917.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 29 May 2019

References

O'Kelly, M.J. 1944 A survey of the antiquities in the barony of Small County, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 4, 16-53.

Crawford, H.S. 1917 Primitive Bridge or Causeway at Knockainey, Co. Limerick. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 47, 82.

O'Keeffe, P. and Simington, T. 1991 Irish stone bridges: history and heritage. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.