What is recorded here

Ratheen is a low circular mound of earth and stone in Mayo pasture, named on maps before modern records and still visible beside a deep swallow hole called Polldotia. It sits where field walls meet, with Nephin Mountain rising behind it and other barrows scattered through the grass nearby. The mound may have marked burial, boundary or ceremony, while the swallow hole beside it suggests the land itself was never ordinary.

In pasture, at the junction of two field walls, located on a low rise in an area of rolling grassland bordered 200m to N by the Deel River. Immediately to NW is a large swallow hole (c. 50m N–S; c. 20m E–W), several meters deep, which is named ‘Polldotia’ on the 1922 OS 6-inch map. Nephin Mountain is prominently visible to SSW and the Nephin Beg Range extends along the skyline to W. This possible barrow is named ‘Ratheen’ on the 1922 OS 6-inch maps. It consists of a circular mound or cairn (9m E–W; 9.5m N–S; H 1.1m at E, 1.4m at W) of earth and stone. The mound is largely sod-covered and obscured by hawthorn, brambles, and on the S and W sides by a jumble of loose field clearance stones. There is another possible barrow (MA038-146----) c. 35m to N, and a cluster of ringbarrows and possible barrows and cairns (MA038-051----; MA038-052----; MA038-053001- to MA038-053003-; MA038-146----) are located in adjacent fields within a range of c. 100-250m to NE, SE and S. There is a possible ringcairn (MA038-054----) c. 400m to S. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 29 July 2019

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