Leacht

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a low eroding cliff-edge, immediately to NE of Clashymore Harbour, on the S side of Inishmurray Island. This is a National Monument (no. 117) in state ownership.
This leacht is traditionally known as Ollamurray (Ulaidh Mhuire or ‘Mary’s Altar [or Cairn]’). It is centrally located within a small stone-built enclosure (SL001-005001-). These monuments were subjected to severe ongoing erosion/storm damage; in 2000 they were fully excavated (00E0484), and then reconstructed in 2001 by the OPW at a safer distance from the cliff-edge (O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin 2008, 298-313).
Prior to excavation, the leacht appeared as a roughly square drystone structure, with the S side reduced by storm damage to a spread of random rubble (O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin 2008, 170; 298). The excavation revealed the primary basal outline (c. 1.8m E−W; c. 1.4m N−S), which consisted of an outer facing of edge-set stones, which enclosed a core of close-set rounded beach cobbles and angular blocks (ibid, 304). This use of flat, edge-set stones is a notable construction feature of the leacht. The technique was also used in the construction of other Inishmurray leachts (e.g. SL001-001013-; SL001-004002-; SL001-007002-; SL001-013003-). The excavators conclude: ‘An inescapable inference is that all of these leachta were built to a common design, probably at the same time, and under supervision of one individual.’ (O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin 2008, 313).
A cross-slab (SL001-005003-) may once have stood on this leacht.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 19 February 2018

References

O'Sullivan J. and Ó Carragáin T. 2008 Inishmurray: Monks and Pilgrims in an Atlantic Landscape. Volume 1: Archaeological Survey and Excavations 1997-2000. The Collins Press. Cork.