Settlement cluster

The National Monuments Service's description

The modern village of Finnea or Fiodh an Átha (the wood of the ford) appears to have been built on the site of a medieval settlement consisting of a cluster of dwellings flanking both sides of a medieval routeway crossing the Inny River at the medieval bridge (WM001-052----) of Finnea. This roadway and fording point was the main medieval routeway connecting Westmeath to Cavan (Manning 1997, 29). A medieval castle (WM001-001----) protected this bridge and fording point over the Inny River, in the 17th century an artillery fort (WM001A001-) was built to the W of the village. This cluster of dwellings and routeway are depicted on the 1657 Down Survey map of Fore Barony (NLI, MS 723-4). On this map a ruinous tower or castle is depicted standing in the field to the N of the road crossing the bridge and a cluster of dwellings stand either side of this roadway representing the medieval village or settlement of Finnea. According to Manning (1997, 31) there was a medieval settlement at Finnea located on the border of the Anglo-Norman lordship of Meath.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 18 November 2016

References

NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.

Manning, C. 1997 The Bridge of Finnea and the Man Who Built It. Archaeology Ireland, 11, 1, 29-31. Wordwell.