Castle — ringwork in Woodford Demesne

This enclosure is situated in mixed woodland in a low-lying position on the S bank of a WNW-ESE section of the Ballinamore and Ballyconnell canal, which cuts off a loop of the Woodford River to the N and which truncates this monument on the N side. The river and the canal connect Ballymagauran Lough to the E with Gardice Lough to the W. This is identified as Tuam Seanchaidh or Tomonaghan, an early centre of the O'Rourke's in south Leitrim which may have continued in use up to the 15th century (Dalton 1921-4, 26, 31-3). In 1386 Aine, the wife of Tiernan O’Rourke, Lord of Breifne, died at Tuaim Seanchaidh (AFM). As a medieval centre of the O’Rourkes’ and for morphological reasons the earthwork can be considered as a possible ringwork castle. However, a stone castle (LE026-001002-) may have been built c. 100m to the SE, at a location later occupied by a house (M’Parlan 1802, 93). This is a grass-covered D-shaped area (int. dims 36m WNW-ESE; 25m NNE-SSW) defined by an earthen bank (Wth of base 6.m; int. H 0.6-1m; ext. H 0.8-1m) with trees that is separated by a berm (Wth 0.5-1m) from an outer rock-cut fosse (Wth 7m; int. D 1.3-2m; ext. D 0.5-1.6m) E-S-WSW, and by the canal elsewhere. There is an entrance (Wth 4.8m) and causeway (Wth 7m) at SW, but the bank and fosse do not continue W of this feature. Before the canal truncated it, the enclosure would include all the loop created by the river (dim. c. 120m N-S). The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 7 July 2017