Building in Carrowbleagh East

The building is indicated though not named on both the 1837 and 1910 editions of the OS 6-inch maps. The remains comprise a single-storey, vaulted structure (6.25m L x 3.50m W internally) with walls 1.25m T. The walls stand to c. 2m high and the building is c. 4m high to the apex of the gable. The W wall contains three openings, 2 splayed loops flanking a wider central one - possibly a window - the outer stonework is missing so it is impossible to know the external width of the opening: the S of these three opes is blocked up. There are three comparable openings in the E wall. The N and middle one are splayed and the S one appears to be the remains of a wall-press; its sides do not appear to be splayed. The outer ends of these opes are damaged and blocked up. There is no evidence for a window/opening in the S gable. Set about mid-way in the exterior face is a stone with a hole. Although it superficially looks like a gun-loop it is not splayed or regularly dressed. In addition, there is no evidence of an opening at this point on the interior of the wall and it would appear that this stone was inserted here. More than likely it originally served as the footing stone for the pintle of a door. The entrance to the building is via a pointed doorway (W 1.05m, H 1.60m) in the centre of the N wall. Only the upper part of the doorway is visible on the exterior, the lower being obscured by a mound of stone and gravel placed there to hinder access to the building (pers comm. landowner). The stones forming the doorway are all dressed with large punch marks typical of 16th/17th century work. The doorway is slightly battered and this is retained in the stonework for c. 0.50m on either side where it is then set back to the vertical. There is a local tradition that both the doorway and armorial stone set in the wall above it (SL019-200003-) were brought here from the old 'castle' to the W. However, while it seems likely that the armorial stone is certainly an insertion, the doorway, more than likely, is in situ and formed part of the original building. This building is described in the Buildings of architectural interest in Co. Sligo (An Foras Forbartha, 1973, p. 22) as a '17th century chapel' and in the subsequent edition of same (1979, p. 56) as 'apparently an early-17th century chapel, but so rustic as to give little indication as to its function, perhaps more likely a gate-lodge.' It is most unlikely that this building ever functioned as a gate-lodge and its identification as a 'chapel' would appear to be based on a miss-reading by the compiler of the report of the OS 6-inch map. The compiler appears to have linked the name 'Old Chapel' with this building rather than with that to the east in the grounds of Longford House. This interpretation of events is reinforced by the fact that the reference in the report to the latter building makes no mention of it as being a chapel. The vaulted building has clear affinities with tower-house rather than church architecture and, in addition, it is aligned N-S, an atypical orientation for a church. Wood-Martin recorded the tradition that it once served as a forge (1882, I, 118) and this would explain the flue-hole broken through the apex of the vault about two-thirds of the way S of the entrance: above this sits the chimney. It is difficult to assign a date to the building with any accuracy though the use of the punch dressing on the doorway would indicate a date in the later 16th/early 17th century. Compiled by: Paul Walsh Date of upload: 19 January 2011