Water mill

In level rough grazing in a narrow (Wth c. 120m E-W) meander in the Clydagh River which forms the northern boundary of Ballyguin townland and flows from the SW around the W, N and E sides of the site. Reported as a possible horizontal-wheeled mill (SMR file). Indicated but not named on the first edition (1837) of the OS 6-inch map as a rectangular structure (est. L c. 10m NNE-SSW; est. Wth c. 5m) straddling a mill race running NW-SE (L c. 90m) across the crook of the meander. A second, much longer mill race (L c. 450m) is also depicted running perpendicularly SSE off the shorter race to the ‘Corn & Tuck Mills’ and ‘Corn Kilns’ at Park Bridge. The mill building is not shown on the slightly later OS 25-inch map (1893) suggesting that it had fallen out of use; likely superseded by the larger mill complex at Park Bridge. There are no upstanding remains of this mill building and no conclusive evidence of it having been a horizontal wheeled mill. Both mill races are still traceable. The shorter NW-SE race feeds off the Clydagh River at its NW end as a mainly rock-cut channel (Wth at base 2m; av. D 2m) and contains an overgrown masonry sluice gate or possible flume which narrows towards its SE end (Wth 1.2m to Wth 1m). The other, much longer race runs perpendicularly SSE off it. It is earth-cut (Wth 1-1.5m: D 1-1.4m) and runs through open ground (L c. 130m) to close on the Clydagh River from where it continues parallel to the W bank to the mills at Park Bridge. Date of visit: 11-2-2025 Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Leo Morahan