Bridge

The National Monuments Service's description

Crossing the River Suir at Ardinnan in a N-S direction. The earliest record of a bridge in Ardfinnan occurs in 1311 when Edward II made a pontage grant to the reeve and men of the village (Chartae priv.imm. 44). In 1399, the Earl of Desmond was drowned here (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.1, 28; Power 1908, 13). The 'Bridge of Ardfynane' is also mentioned in the Civil Survey of 1654-6 (Simington 1931, vol.1, 260). It appears that this point on the Suir was a fording point even before the bridge was built, as is reflected in it's name 'Ath-Arda-Fionain (the Ford of Ardfinnan)' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.2, 28). The bridge (Wth 6.45m) with a parapet (H 1.15m; T 0.45) consists of nine spans, with three overflows, and eight triangular cut-waters on its E face. It is largely constructed of randomly coursed limestone rubble with cut-stone voussoirs employed around the semi-circular arch-rings of each span. The arch soffits are rendered with concrete. The parapet is capped with large flat roughly cut capstones except at the SE end where they have been replaced with concrete. There are a number of drainage holes placed at regular intervals in the parapet walls.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1931 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol I: county of Tipperary: eastern and southern baronies. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Power, P. 1908 Placenames of the Decies. Journal of the Waterford and Southeast of Ireland Archaeological Society 11, 1-34, 45-78, 135-43 and 179-210.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Tipperary collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840. Bray.

Chartae, privilegia et immunitates: being transcripts of charters and privileges to cities, towns, abbeys and other bodies corporate. 18 Henry II to 18 Richard II (1171 to 1396)(Irish Record Commission, Dublin, 1889)