Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in a rath, which is named ‘Lisheenmoyle’on the 1838 and 1929 OS 6-inch maps.
In 2003 an archaeological excavation (03E0955) was undertaken in advance of the completion of a road-widening scheme on a stretch of the road that cuts E−W through the centre of the rath (King 2003). The excavation was limited to the road cut, and focused on the portion of the rath that lies on the S side of the road. A possible souterrain were exposed in section in the N-facing road-side embankment. The remains consist of a wall (Wth 1.6m; H 1m) of drystone construction, which may represent the exterior wall face of a souterrain chamber. The wall is built with large and medium-sized limestone rubble (average size 0.3-0.4m), with the interstices between the larger stones filled with smaller stones (average size 0.1-0.2m). The upper W edge of the wall abuts a large, natural limestone boulder (L 1.55m; H 0.59m). The top of the wall is 1.5m below the top of the embankment, the base of the wall coincided with subsoil level. The wall was recorded and left in situ (King 2003, 6-9).

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 7 February 2018

References

King, P. 2003 Preliminary report on the excavation of part of an enclosure at Ballinlassa, Co. Mayo. Excavation licence number 03E0955. Unpublished report submitted to the National Monument Service, August 2003.