Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Leacht
Inishmurray, County Sligo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Inishmurray
- County
- Sligo
- Country
- Ireland
- Latest-edition OS map
- Ollanmurray
- Coordinates
- 54.43076, -8.66207
- SMR number
- SL001-005002-
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 1869 map "Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1904 · Sheet 4. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1922 · Ireland - northern section. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
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.
Nearby in the register
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Habitation siteunder 1 mi
- Cistunder 1 mi
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.