Carrick on Shannon — Townparks

Situated on the E bank of the River Shannon at a point where it narrows considerably. Originally called 'Carrick Drumrusk', the town was incorporated by charter in 1613, although a fort had already been built in 1611. Maurice Griffith became constable in 1620, but the fort's importance declined with the foundation of Jamestown (LE031-082----) further S along the river in 1622 (Kerrigan 1980, 140). A second fort was built on the Roscommon side by 1627. However, the town itself might never have been fortified and it is represented as without walls on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map. The town was captured by Roger Maguire for Owen O'Neill in 1648, but it was surrendered to the Cromwellians in 1652. It had a population of 47 c. 1659 (Pender 1939, 559) and a wooden bridge had been built by 1683, but only fourteen families were then living in the town. Part of the fort survives (LE031-005001-), the site of the parish church (LE031-005002-) can be identified, and the Costello memorial chapel (LE031-005003-), which was built in the 19th century, is extant. Archaeological testing up to 2000 had failed to recover features associated with the early occupation of the town but deep deposits (D c. 2-3m) of mixed organic material with stone and red brick dating to the nineteenth century testify to attempts to raise the ground level. According to the Urban Archaeological Survey the street pattern of the initial town was linear and was based on the curving line of Bridge Street. Main Street represents an extension which was probably established towards the close of the seventeenth century, if one is to judge from the positioning of St George's Church of Ireland church. The expansion in the width of the street at the foot of Bridge Street immediately outside the castle suggests that this was the location of the original market place. The construction of the market square at the north end of Bridge Street was a later development (Bradley and Dunne 1988, 14-15). Archaeological monitoring (07E0747) of a water mains identified the original quay-face and encountered a re-deposited oak beam with a likely felling date in the late seventeenth century and may have come from a bridge erected in 1683 or from its replacement in 1718 (Timoney 2011). See the attached view from the Down Survey parish map (N at bottom) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 717). 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. Date of upload: 23 September 2008 Amended: 24 Sep. 2013, 14 October, 2019; 6 January 2020