Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - motte
Gortlownan, County Sligo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Gortlownan
- County
- Sligo
- Country
- Ireland
- Latest-edition OS map
- Mote
- Coordinates
- 54.22143, -8.33892
- SMR number
- SL021-012----
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
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On the SE side of a broad shallow NE-SW valley of boggy ground, overlooked SE-SW by hilly terrain broken by rock outcrops. A stream, which marks the county boundary between Sligo and Leitrim, skirts the monument E-SE.
This is a National Monument in state ownership (no. 277). A conical oval mound (c. 42m NW-SE; c. 35-40m NE-SW; H 5m) with a flat top (15.5m NW-SE; 10m NE-SW) and steeply sloping sides. Occasional large stones protrude randomly around the top edge of the mound, possibly remnants of an enclosing wall. The mound appears to be a modified natural ridge and this fact has cast some doubt on its status as a motte (Glasscock 1975, 109; Graham 1988, 121).
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
Nearby in the register
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Ritual site - holy/saint's stoneunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.