Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ringfort - cashel
Dubhoileán Mór, County Mayo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Dubhoileán Mór
- County
- Mayo
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Killeen
- Latest-edition OS map
- Killeen
- Coordinates
- 54.07447, -10.16949
- SMR number
- MA033A003001-
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)
- 1841 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On Duvillaun More Island, located on a central E-W spine of relatively level, elevated ground, just E of the centre of the island. There is a cluster of ruined 19th century vernacular stone houses, with associated field enclosures, 30m to N. Immediately to S of the cashel there is a marked fall of ground. This sheltered S-facing slope appears to encompass the most fertile land on the island and exhibit a pattern of relict cultivation ridges, undoubtedly contemporary with the 19th century settlement.
The cashel (32.6m E-W; 31.7m N-S), which appears to have been the focus of a monastic settlement, is defined E-S-N by low, sod-covered remains of a stone wall (Wth c. 1.6m; int. H 0.4m; ext. H 0.6m). The NE arc of the wall cannot be fully traced, and the NE quadrant is partly overlain by a later field walls enclosing cultivation ridges, undoubtedly related to the 19th century settlement.
In the SE quadrant of the interior, there is a ruined church (MA003A003004-), the N wall of which is incorporated into a later field wall that extends E−W through the NE quadrant of the cashel interior. Immediately to S of the church, there is a cross slab (MA033A003001-) and a possible slab-lined burial (MA033A003003-).
An internal division in the form of a low, partly sod-covered, ruined stone wall (Wth 0.8m; H 0.4m) marks off the SE quadrant, skirting the W and N side of the possible church. This internal wall appears be contemporary with other field walls abutting the cashel at NE, E and W, which are most likely related to the 19th century settlement. Bedrock protrudes from the ground surface in parts in the SW and S of the interior.
The cashel is marked on the 1921 OS 6-inch map as 'Killeen', and according to the OS Letters (1838) was used as a children's burial ground (MA003A003008-).
A holy well (MA003A003007-) is located c. 20m SW, and four possible clochans (MA033A003005-; MA033A003006-; MA033A003009-; MA033A003010-) and a structure (MA033A003011-) are located on a roughly N-S line on the S-facing slope to S of the cashel.
Attached image:
MA033A003001-_01.JPG Low remnants of the cashel wall can be seen, with the cross-slab (MA033A003002-) standing in the E half of the interior. Viewed from SE.
Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy
Date of upload: 27 February 2018
Nearby in the register
- Children's burial groundunder 1 mi
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
- Slab-lined burialunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.