Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Souterrain
Carrowgarve South, County Mayo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Carrowgarve South
- County
- Mayo
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 54.07964, -9.39484
- SMR number
- MA038-022002-
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 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1790 · Composite: 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
In a rath (MA038-022001-).
This drystone-built souterrain consists of at least three subrectangular chambers, each with its long axis on a different orientation, all interconnected by short creepways.
The current access is through a surface opening/area of collapse (c. 2m NW–SE; c. 2m NE–SW) located close to the bank at SSW in the rath interior. It gives onto a short, narrow creepway (Wth 0.56m; H 0.56m) which opens into the SE end of a stone-built chamber (5.3m NW–SE; 1.9m NE–SW; H 1.3m). This chamber (chamber 1), long axis NW-SE, is rectangular in plan, with slightly rounded corners. The walls are constructed of large stones and boulders, roughly coursed; the uppermost two courses are slightly corbelled and support a roof of massive lintel slabs. The floor is covered with compacted earth and loose stone rubble, and slopes down toward the NW end of the chamber. At the NW end, a low, narrow earthen platform (1.2m NW–SE), edged with stones, spans the full width of the NW wall, fronting a narrow lintelled opening (H 1.6m) to a creep located in the middle of the wall.
The creep consists of a short passage which curves to the N, opening into the SE corner of another chamber (chamber 2) (5.05m N–S; 2m E–W; H c. 1.2m). Chamber 2 is orientation N-S, rectangular in plan with rounded corners and is of similar construction to the chamber I. The S end of the chamber is strewn with heaps of earth and loose stones, and the floor slopes up from there towards the N end. At floor level in the rounded NE corner, there is a lintelled opening (Wth 0.66m; H 0.44m) into a creep (L 1.4m), which opens into the W end of a third chamber (Wth 1.4m N–S; H 1m at W end). Chamber 3 is of similar construction to the other two, but is noticeably narrower and the ceiling is lower, with a floor that slopes upwards toward the E end. It extends to the E for 1.7m, at which point there is an impassable blockage of earthen collapse, which rises to within 0.3-0.4m of the roof lintels. It is clear, however, that the chamber continues for at least a few meters to E beyond the blockage.
Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy
Date of upload: 24 July 2019
Nearby in the register
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Burnt moundunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.