Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Settlement deserted - medieval
Oolahills East, County Limerick, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Oolahills East
- County
- Limerick
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 52.52990, -8.24200
- SMR number
- LI033A007----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1882 · Ireland (southern half). (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1904 · Sheet 13. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
In pasture on the lower E facing slope of Oola Hill, 430m ESE of the summit and 80m NW and N of Oola Castle (LI033A008002-) standing 1km W of the county border with Tipperary. The site has excellent views to the N, E and S. A land grant of 1282 records that Ullish (Oola) was granted by the Citizens of Limerick to J. Fitz Thomas (Westropp 1906, 103). Oola Castle, a tower house, is reputed to have been built by a branch of the O’Brien’s of Thomond, Tirrelagh mac Brien held a castle at Knockowlow (Oola Hills) in 1572 (ibid., 103).
The earthworks were first identified on oblique aerial photographs taken 20/07/1968 and 10/07/1969 (CUCAP AVT043/044; AYO037) appear to be the remains of medieval settlement contemporary or earlier associated with Oola Castle. The field systems and earthworks are not depicted on the 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map or on the 1897 ed. OSi 25-inch map. The field systems, sunken way and house platforms are visible on OSi orthoimage taken 2005-12 and on Digital Globe orthoimages taken 2011-2013. A clear rectangular platform (ext. dims. 23m NNE-SSW; 19m ENE-WSW) defined by a fosse located at the E side of the field system. A covered way or sunken road (L. 125m) orientated NW-SE is located 14m SW of the rectangular platform. A series of irregular relic fields are located to the SW of the sunken road where cultivation ridges survives on the ground surface. The aerial Google Earth orthoimages taken 11/03/2014 and 18/11/2018 best illustrate the cultivation ridges and hummocky topography suggestive of wider settlement (ext. dims. 130m N-S; 160m E-W).
See attached CUCAP aerial photographs and Google Earth orthoimages
Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan
Date of upload: 2 October 2020
References
Hibernia Regnum: A set of 214 barony maps of Ireland dating to the period AD 1655-59. The original parish maps have been lost but the Hibernia Regnum maps are preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (Goblet 1932, v-x). Photographic facsimiles of these maps were published by the Ordnance Survey, Southampton in 1908.
CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com
Westropp, T.J. 1906-7 The ancient castles of the county of Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 26, 54-264.
Nearby in the register
- Earthworkunder 1 mi
- Castle - tower houseunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.