Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Road - road/trackway
Carrowkeel (tirerrill By., Templevanny Ed),cuilsheeghary More,doonaveeragh,knockroe (tirerrill By., Aghanagh Ed),mullaghfarna, County Sligo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Carrowkeel (tirerrill By., Templevanny Ed),cuilsheeghary More,doonaveeragh,knockroe (tirerrill By., Aghanagh Ed),mullaghfarna
- County
- Sligo
- Country
- Ireland
- Latest-edition OS map
- Bothar an Iarla Ruaidh or the Red Earls Road
- Coordinates
- 54.04916, -8.35571
- SMR number
- SL040-197----
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
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 (SL040-197----) (L c. 2.6km) is partly surviving as a trackway and partly covered by a tarred road. The trackway (Wth c. 3m) is defined by low banks of earth and stone (Wth 1m; H 0.4m) and in places on its W side by a scarp where the track is cut into the natural slope. Another section of the road (SL040-023----) is c. 1.2km to NW and a further stretch (SL040-190----) lies 1.3km to SE.
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
Nearby in the register
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - cashelunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.