Bothar an Corann or Bothar na Slieve — Dernaskeagh,derrygolagh

Bóthar an Corann or Bothar na Slieve connected the town of Ballymote, Co. Sligo with Boyle, Co. Roscommon by a route around the SW side of Kesh Corran and to the W of the Bricklieve Mountains, a distance of c. 20km. According to Timoney and Timoney (2001, 21), Richard de Burgh, the Red Earl of Ulster, is credited with building this road to get from his castle at Ballymote (SL033-092----) into Roscommon. This entry deals only with that part of the road in Co. Sligo, i.e. from close to Ballymote as far as the Roscommon border. The road traverses a number of townlands over a number of the 1914 edition of the OS 6-inch sheets: OS 33: Ardsallagh/ Corhober/Mullaghcor; OS 39: Ardsallagh/Knocknacroy/Cross/Cloonagh/ Knocknawhishoge; OS 40:Carrowreagh/Dernaskeagh; OS 45: Meenmore/ Derrygolagh/Dernaskeagh. A possible link road between Bothar an Corann and Bothar an Iarla Ruaid (SL033-147---) goes from Greenan townland, around the S side of the Bricklieve Mountains, to Ballinafad. Sections of Bóthar an Corann are recorded as five separate records (SL033-145---; SL039-031----; SL040-143----; SL040-153----; SL045-002----) commencing at Ballymote and following the route SE to the county boundary with Roscommon. Only sections of the road are indicated on these maps though it was, of course, continuous. This section (SL040-153----) traverses the townlands of Dernaskeagh and Derrygolagh. The portion in Dernaskeagh zig-zags gently for a distance of c. 0.5km in a NW direction through poorly drained pasture, then swings to WNW for a further 0.4km cutting across the lower SSW-facing slope of the hill. It is evident for most of this section as a very shallow linear depression (Wth c. 4.5m). A short section has been incorporated into a farm trackway and is bounded by post-and-wire fencing. Close to the point where the trackway changes direction to WNW it becomes difficult to trace and a short section appears to coincide with the line of a modern road. Continuing to WNW it cuts into the slope of the hill where it takes the form of a sunken way (Wth 4m) bordered on the N side by a vertical S-facing scarp (H 0.9m), roughly revetted in places with stone, cut into the rising slope of the hill, and on the S side by a substantial earth and stone field boundary. A shallow drain (Wth 0.9m) is cut into the base of the trackway along the inner face of the field boundary. The section is covered with overgrowth of hazel, holly, bushes and brambles. A single test-trench dug at the S end of this section in 2001 (at ITM grid reference 573245, 807214) revealed a trackway (Wth c. 2.5m) consisting of 'woven timbers, 20mm to 40mm wide laid on east/west and north/south axes, with the runners orientated north/south' c. 0.45m below the present surface (Read 2001a). The trackway appeared to lie in a natural hollow or possible cut and the eastern and western edges seemed to be defined by medium sized stones (ibid.). A deposit of burnt material was also revealed on one side of the trackway (Read 2003, 358). To the S of this the road extends on a roughly NNW-SSE axis for a furtherv c. 1km, crossing the townland boundary into Derrygolagh. It is poorly preserved and does not survive as a continuous track. It is mostly evident as a shallow, linear, waterlogged depresssion (Wth c. 4m; D 0.3-0.5m) bordered by traces of parallel banks or, where cut into rising ground, by low scarps. In places it is very difficult to trace, being evident only as a slight surface indentation , or makred by a dense growth of rushes. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of revision: 1 June 2011