Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Souterrain
Rusheens West, County Mayo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Rusheens West
- County
- Mayo
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Caves
- Coordinates
- 53.89662, -8.67941
- SMR number
- MA073-011003-
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
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Located in an ecclesiastical enclosure (MA073-011001-).
This souterrain is indicated on the 1919 OS 6-inch maps as ‘Caves’. In the SW quadrant of the enclosure, close to the enclosing wall, there is an opening (Wth 0.57m; H 0.47m) into the W end of a subterranean stone-built chamber (L 4m E-W; H c. 1.4m). The chamber is trapezoidal in plan, narrowing from a width of c. 2m at W to 1.3m at E. The walls are of drystone construction, well built with small and medium-sized stones. It is roofed with massive, overlapping slabs, supported by a course of corbels at the top of the side walls. The floor is covered with earth and loose stones. A low lintelled opening (Wth c. 0.6m), now blocked up, at floor level at the NE corner of the chamber may be a creep opening to N into another chamber or passage.
A ground surface, 4m to NE of the opening to the souterrain, there is a shallow hollow or surface subsidence (max. dim. 2m), which probably indicates a continuation of the souterrain in this direction.
Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy
Date of upload: 2 June 2021
Nearby in the register
- Ecclesiastical enclosureunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Bullaun stoneunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.