Road - road/trackway

The National Monuments Service's description

The Red Earl's Road, probably of medieval origin, linked the towns of Ballymote, Co. Sligo and Boyle, Co. Roscommon, by a route around the N and E sides of the Bricklieve Mountains (M. A. Timoney 1998, 155), a distance of c. 21km. It is said to have been built by Richard de Burgh, The Red Earl of Ulster, after the Norman conquest, to link his castle (SL033-092----) at Ballymote with Boyle Abbey (RO006-068005-), Co. Roscommon. The road traverses a number of townlands over a number of 6-inch sheets (OS 33: Bellanascarrow West/Roscrib East/Roscrib West/Ballinvoher; OS 34: Drumcormick/ Bricklieve/Tiraree; OS 40: Cloghoge Lower/Carrowkeel/Mullaghfarna/ Doonaveeragh/Knockroe/Cuilsheeghary More/Mountgaffeny/Ballinafad/Gortalough/ Ballaghboy/Cartron; OS 45: Ballaghboy/Cartron).

Sections of the road are recorded under five records (SL033-147----; SL034-159----; SL040-023----; SL040-197----; SL040-190----) commencing at Ballymote and following the route E and then S to the county boundary with Roscommon. Only sections of the road are indicated on the 1914 and 1941 OS 6-inch maps even though it was, of course, continuous. A possible link road between Bothar an Iarla Ruaid and Bothar an Corran (SL033-145----) goes from Greenan townland, around the S side of the Bricklieve Mountains, to Ballinafad. At its nearest point, Bothar an Corran is c. 0.8km to the SW.

This section (SL033-147----) of the Red Earl's Road (L c. 2.5km) crosses undulating pasture with no obvious preference for ground conditions. Views vary along the route according to the terrain. It has been replaced by a modern tarred road (Wth 12-15m), bounded by earthen banks or stone walls, where it passes through the townlands of Bellanascarrow East and Roscrib West as far as the rath (SL033-125----) which is c. 20m to the N of the road in Roscrib East. To the E of this rath the road extends cross-country through Ballinvoher, following a large field boundary on its N side and is also visible in sections as a band of dark grass (Wth 6m). For the remainder of this section the road is beneath a disused lane (Wth 8-10m). According to local information, it continued to the W under a modern lane to meet the main road to the W of the Presbyterian Church at Graniamore.

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 revision: 1 June 2011