Enclosure in Ballinamore

In pasture, located on top of a roughly oval hillock bordered at its base on the N side by a stream. It is overlooked to NW by an upland ridge, and views are somewhat restricted to SE–S by gently undulating terrain. The top of the hillock is relatively level, with steeply sloping sides at W–N dropping c. 4m towards the stream and a much lower, gradual gradient at E–S. There is small-scale quarrying at various points on the top and sides of the hillock. This enclosure is indicated on the 1838 OS 6-inch map; it is not shown on later map editions. It is located on the broader level W end of the hillock, close to the break of slope at W−N. It consists of a circular area (17m N–S; 17m E–W) enclosed by low, dilapidated sod-covered wall footings (Wth c. 1m). A section of the wall at SW–W shows that it is constructed of a double row of contiguous rough stones and boulders with rubble fill in the intervening space. A quarry pit (max dim. c. 10m) dug into the hill slope encroaches on the outer face of the wall at the SW, displacing some of the stones, and a section of wall at NE is similarly disturbed. The interior of the enclosure is level and not noticeably raised but appears slightly higher in the NE quadrant than elsewhere, and the interior just inside the wall E−SE appears slightly sunken. A rath (MA080-048----) is located on a rise on the opposite bank of the stream c. 100m to NE. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 6 December 2021