Bridge in Ballymacshane

Single-arched road bridge over small unnamed river or stream (tributary of the River Inny), built c. 1800. Rubble stone parapets, abutments and spandrel walls. Round-headed arch with dressed limestone voussoirs to arch. Widened by northwest side by square-headed concrete section. Rubble stone wing walls to either side (northeast and southwest). Located in the rural countryside to the southwest of Legan.

Although widened to the northwest side by a modern section, this modest single-arch road bridge retains its early character. The simple form of this road bridge is enhanced by the textural variation created by the rubble stone spandrel walls and parapets with the dressed limestone voussoirs to the single small arch. The bridge serves as a reminder of the quality of the engineering and local craftsmen's skills. It probably dates to the late-eighteenth or the early-nineteenth century, a period that saw a great deal of bridge building in Ireland, particularly by the Grand Juries (the forerunners of the County Councils). It is an attractive feature in the landscape to the southwest of Legan, and adds historic incident to its pleasant rural location.