Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Marked only on the 1929 ed. of the OS 6-inch map, and situated on a gently undulating low-lying landscape. Circular grass-covered and domed mound (diam. 41m N-S; 39m E-W; H 0.6m at W to 1.4m at S), which may be natural, defined by a fosse (at E: Wth of top 4.6m; Wth of base 2m; int. D 0.3m; ext. D 0.4m; at S: Wth of top 8.4m; Wth of base 4m; int. D 0.7m; ext. D 0.3m) NE-E-SW. The fosse is represented by a band of rushes (Wth 2-4m) elsewhere, and there is an outer bank (Wth 3-6m; ext. H 0.1-0.2m) ENE-SW. There is no identifiable original entrance. Archaeological monitoring of the widening of a NE-SW drain 5m to the NW revealed a stone lintel bridge (RO021-023003-) (Wth 2.5m; H 1; L 1m) which is post-medieval leading into the enclosure (Lavelle 1993). John O'Donovan writing c. 1837 listed a church site (RO021-023002-) in Killaster (O'Flanagan 1931, 41) and this site is locally regarded as one, although it is unlikely.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1931 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Roscommon collected during the progress of the
Ordnance Survey in 1837. Bray.

Lavelle, D. 1993 Report on the archaeological monitoring of a drain adjacent to a circular enclosure, Killaster townland, Co. Roscommon. Unpublished report: Archaeological Services Unit, Galway