Bridge in Bough, County Monaghan

What is recorded here

Bridge in Bough carries a water pipe over the River Blackwater, because certain water evidently considers itself too good to mix. The rest can splash about below; this lot has booked a private carriage.

Single-arch bridge, dated 1791, carrying road over River Blackwater. Segmental arch with tooled sandstone voussoirs and gunnelled soffit. Coursed limestone rubble walls to spandrel and parapets. Inscribed limestone date-plaque within recessed oval panel to interior of east parapet wall. Recent pedestrian bridge built abutting east elevation. Water-pipe attached to soffit.

Despite its functional nature, this well-composed bridge exhibits a strong sense of elegance, with the graceful curve of the arch going down to meet the water. The inscribed date-plaque adds decorative as well as contextual interest, while the graceful segmental arch with its dressed voussoirs belies its early date, indicating the skill and craftsmanship of stonemasons and engineers in the later decades of the eighteenth century.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 41400905

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.