Enclosure in Carrowkeel (tirawley By., Crossmolina. Par.) — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Half a metre deep and barely wider than a child’s outstretched arms, the narrow fosse curved beneath the later rath like a forgotten breath. People may have stood inside that shallow circle to mark seasons, offer food or simply belong somewhere before stone and ceremony arrived. The road took only part of it in 2002, leaving the southern arc buried beneath grass and memory. What is missing is not emptiness; it is an invitation to imagine the hands, voices and reasons that shaped a place so small it could fit inside a life.

Located on a low natural rise or hillock with a southerly aspect, underlying a rath (MA038-004----). In 2002-3 an excavation (02E0598) was carried out on the northern half of the rath in advance of road construction (Zajac 2011). It revealed evidence of an enclosure defined by a narrow fosse, which predated the construction of the rath. The fosse (Wth 0.6-1m at top; D 0.4-0.8m) underlay the later rath bank, and was traced in an arc W–NE. It varied in profile from U-shaped to V-shaped, and appeared too shallow and insubstantial to be defensive in nature. It is thought to be pre-historic in date, most likely associated with a Neolithic habitation site (MA038-004001-), which underlay the rath. The enclosed space may even have had a ceremonial or ritual dimension (ibid. 338). Part of the enclosure, extended beyond the road take and remains unexcavated, underlying the S side of the rath. (Zajac 2011). Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 23 July 2019

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