Bridge in Cloonmore

Single-arch road bridge over Fallan River, built c. 1860. Segmental-headed arch with rock-faced voussoirs to arch. Dressed margins to voussoirs. Squared rock-faced masonry spandrels and abutments, squared dressed masonry to barrel. Rock-faced parapets with rock-faced coping over. Rubble stone wing walls to ends of parapets (north and south) having rounded coping over. Located to the north the southeast of Cloondara.

A robustly-built small-scale bridge, of mid nineteenth-century appearance, which is a pleasing feature in the rural landscape to the southeast of Cloondara. This bridge shows evidence of highly skilled craftsmanship in its stonemasonry. The good quality heavily rock-faced masonry is a typical feature of the many bridges built throughout Ireland by the Board of Works during the mid-to-late nineteenth century, and particularly between c. 1847 - 60, suggesting that they may have been responsible for its construction. This bridge is similar in form to a number of other small road bridges in the area, which suggests that it was built as part of a general drainage and/or bridge building programme. The long parapet walls provide a sense of anticipation. The long walls of uniform height, and the flatness of the surface both serve to anchor it in the landscape. The present structure replaced an earlier bridge at this site (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map 1838), and may incorporate fabric from this earlier structure.