Bridge

The National Monuments Service's description

A bridge is indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map on or close to the location of the present bridge over the Owenmore River at the N edge of Collooney. No visible remains of this bridge are now evident. The present road bridge (on a N-S axis; Wth 3.2m) is of eight semicircular arches (span c. 4.4m) with roughly shaped voussoirs. Tall thin piers (Wth c. 1.35m) with tall pointed cutwaters rise to the base of a modern parapet. The core of the bridge is of random rubble limestone. The bridge is extended 3.55m on the downstream (E) side and the extension has similarly shaped stone arches with dressed voussoirs and pointed cutwaters. The arches are heavily underpinned with a thick layer of concrete. The bridge has been extended further in recent times. According to O'Rorke ([1889], vol. 2, 556), Collooney bridge dates to about 1400 but it is not the structure that now exists in this place.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008