Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In undulating pasture, on top of a ridge. Sections of field boundaries to the NW, E and SE of Drumcolumb church and graveyard (SL027-141001-; SL027-141002-) may be the remains of an ecclesiastical enclosure (diam. c. 350m E-W). They occur as a series of segments, rather than a single continuous field boundary. The field boundaries coincide NW-N with the base of the hill but NE-SE cut across the slope. The boundaries are vertical-sided earthen banks (Wth 2m; H 0.8m) scarped into the slope with accompanying drains (Wth 2m) on the upslope side. From NW-N the field boundary is topped with a hawthorn hedgerow. A segment of fence at the ESE has a noticeably more substantial external face (H 1.8m). The curving segment of the field boundary indicated to the SE of the church on the 1910-11 OS 6-inch map has been levelled but remains visible as a slight scarp. There is a small broken high cross (SL027-141003-) in the centre of the graveyard. A holy well (SL027-141004-) associated with St Columb, recorded near the church in 1836 (OSL, 254), remains unlocated.

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