Droichead Mín Ghiolla Charraigh

Triple-arched bridge carrying small country road over tributary of the Meengilcarry River, built c. 1860. Three small square-headed openings having cut stone lintels over, and with roughly squared stone surrounds to openings. Roughly squared stone construction to arch soffits. Uncoursed rubble stone construction to spandrels, piers and abutments, rubble stone construction to parapets with random rubble coping over. Tarmacadam deck with grass verges. Located in the rural landscape to the north/north-east of Killybegs.

This simple but appealing small-scale bridge retains its early character and form, and is n highly appealing feature in the rural landscape to the north-east of Killybegs. The three small flat/square-headed arches create a distinctive structure of some technical and engineering merit. This bridge robustly-constructed in roughly squared local rubble stone masonry, and its continued survival stands as testament to the quality of its original construction, and of the skill of the masons involved. This bridge at Meengilcarry probably dates to the mid-nineteenth century (not depicted on Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map), and its construction was probably funded by the Grand Juries (the forerunners of the Local Authorities/County Councils). However, this bridge may have been built by one or all of Patrick Gillespie, Thomas Birne and/or Frank McGuire, who were employed by the Murray Stewart Estate c. 1856 to built and rebuilt a number of bridges of similar appearance and form around the nearby town of Kilcar, including the sadly recently demolished William Thomas Chesnutt’s Bridge at Portahran/Derrylaghan. This simple but distinctive bridge is an integral element of the built and transport heritage of the local area, and is a feature of some picturesque merit in the rural landscape to the north-east of Killybegs.