Road - road/trackway

The National Monuments Service's description

Bóthar an Corann or Bothar na Slieve connected the town of Ballymote, Co. Sligo with Boyle, Co. Roscommon by a route around the SW side of Kesh Corran and to the W of the Bricklieve Mountains, a distance of c. 20km. According to Timoney and Timoney (2001, 21), Richard de Burgh, the Red Earl of Ulster, is credited with building this road to get from his castle at Ballymote (SL033-092----) into Roscommon. This entry deals only with that part of the road in Co. Sligo, i.e. from close to Ballymote as far as the Roscommon border. The road traverses a number of townlands over a number of the 1914 edition of the OS 6-inch sheets: OS 33: Ardsallagh/ Corhober/Mullaghcor;
OS 39: Ardsallagh/Knocknacroy/Cross/Cloonagh/ Knocknawhishoge;
OS 40:Carrowreagh/Dernaskeagh; OS 45: Meenmore/ Derrygolagh/Dernaskeagh. A possible link road between Bothar an Corann and Bothar an Iarla Ruaid (SL033-147---) goes from Greenan townland, around the S side of the Bricklieve Mountains, to Ballinafad.

Sections of Bóthar an Corann are recorded as five separate records (SL033-145---; SL039-031----; SL040-143----; SL040-153----; SL045-002----) commencing at Ballymote and following the route SE to the county boundary with Roscommon. Only sections of the road are indicated on these maps though it was, of course, continuous.

This section (SL045-002----) (L c. 150m) is indicated on 1914 OS 6-inch map by two broken parallel lines. There are no visible remains of the NW end of this section (L c. 100m) which has been covered by an extensive tract of forestry. The remaining 50m of the trackway is evident as a shallow depression (Wth c. 2m) cut into the S-facing hillslope. Towards the NW end it is bordered by a slight scarping of the hillslope on the uphill side and by remnants of a bank on the downhill side. The SE end terminates at a stream which is crossed by stepping-stones at that point. The road may have continued on the S side of the stream (though this is not indicated on the OS 6-inch maps) and this area is now covered with forestry.

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