Download - Gorteendarragh Field Report
November 2010
Heritage Research grant scheme 2010 GRANT NO: R00881
A field survey of the
archaeological sites at
Gorteendarragh,
County Leitrim Field Survey Report
John James McDermott
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Contents
________________________________________
Page
List of plates ....................................................................................................................2
List of figures and tables ..................................................................................................2
List of plan drawings.........................................................................................................2
Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................3
1. General information....................................................................................................4
1.1 Summary 4
1.2 Introduction 4
1.3 Site Location 5
2. Survey strategy and method........................................................................................6
2.1 Timeline of Survey 6
2.2 Methodology 6
3. Site morphology..........................................................................................................9
3.1 Previous Research 9
3.2 Landscape Setting 9
3.3 Descriptions of Survey Area 1a and 1b 11
3.4 Descriptions of Survey Area 2 17
4. Discussion and conclusions.........................................................................................19
4.1 Overview 19
4.2 Comparative multi-phase sites 19
4.3 Booleying and cultivation ridges 22
4.4 Associations with the late-medieval period 23
4.5 Conclusion 24
5. Benefit to heritage......................................................................................................26
6. Future research...........................................................................................................27
7. Bibliography................................................................................................................28
Appendix I — Plan Drawings..............................................................................................30
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List of plates
________________________________________
1—Oblique overview of study areas and wider surrounds
2—Circular Enclosure 2 from south-east
3—Hut-site 1 from south-east
4—Field Enclosure 2 from south
5—Hut-site 2 from north-west
6—Field Wall remains and Circular Enclosure 1 from south-west
7—Hut-sites 5 and 6 with adjoining field wall from south-east
8—Enclosure A and Hut-sites A and B from south-west
9—Field Enclosure 1 adjoined by walls of Field Enclosure 2 from the north-east
List of figures and tables
________________________________________
Fig. 1—Location map of entire study area showing sites and monuments associated with the project
Fig. 2—Sketch map of Survey Area 1 for field-walking survey
Fig. 3—Plan of settlement complex at Ballyutoag, Co. Antrim
Fig. 4—Location of study area on Discovery Series map, sheet 16
Table 1—Sites and Monuments from Survey Area 1
Table 2—Sites and Monuments from Survey Area 2
List of plan drawings (included in Appendix I)
________________________________________
1—Overview of entire study area
2—Plan of Survey Area 1a
3—Plan of Survey Area 1b
4—Plan of Survey Area 2
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Acknowledgements
________________________________________
I would firstly like to thank Colm McKermott for greatly assisting in the survey and research work
throughout this project. Thanks to Dr Kieran O’Conor for his invaluable direction and guidance as
always and also to Joe Fenwick, who granted the hire of technical equipment from the Dept. Of
Archaeology, NUI, Galway and set-up and assisted in the recording and mapping of the sites. Thanks
to Stuart Rathbone for some interesting insight and advice on the morphology of the sites, and to
Jessica Touhy and Karl Brady for their very helpful remarks on the report. Also thanks to Rory
McNeary for contributing some of the location maps. I am also hugely grateful to the Heritage
Council of Ireland for their recognition of the significance of this project through the granting of
generous funding. Finally I would like to offer a massive thanks to the landowner, Justin Warnock,
who not only granted permission to walk through his lands but shared a major interest in the survey
and thus looked after myself and Colm very well throughout our survey work.
Contact details of author
________________________________________
John James McDermott MA, field archaeologist
Sorrelfield House
Lissinagroagh
Manorhamilton
Co.Leitrim
Ph: +353 71 9855453 or +353 86 1973558
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1. General Information
________________________________________
1.1 Summary
This field survey was conducted between March and November 2010 by two field archaeologists
with professional help from the Department of Archaeology, NUI, Galway. The purpose of the survey
was to further our understandings of the rural landscape inhabited by the people of the
mountainous Dartry region in North Co. Leitrim, during the late medieval and into the post medieval
period (c. AD 1400 – c. AD 1650). The principal aim was to identify an association between the
lordship centre of the MacClancy clan at lake-side Rosclogher and the cluster of archaeological
monuments at upland Gorteendarragh (c. 240m OD). The sites and monuments that were surveyed
consisted of a range of field walls and enclosures, hut-sites and circular stone enclosures as well as a
series of cultivation ridges that correlated with a house-site and several other smaller hut-sites. The
lack of datable evidence at the sites meant that finding a specific chronological link between
Rosclogher and Gorteendarragh was extremely arduous and it is acknowledged that without
excavation work in the future it will remain this way. However, the results of this survey (in the
discussion and plan drawings) does accentuate the complexity that exists within this archaeological
landscape and prompts a great deal of questions to be asked in regard to the use and potential re-
use of field systems in the upland regions of Ireland over vast periods of time. It also provides a
scope for further research and fieldwork to be carried out at these sites in the future.
1.2 Introduction
This field survey was undertaken with the intention of further progressing research into the late
medieval Gaelic lordship known as ‘Dartry MacClancy’ and in turn, providing new insights into the
broader theme of medieval rural settlement in Gaelic Ireland. An MA thesis was initially researched
in 2007 under the title of ‘An archaeological landscape study of late medieval castles in north-west
Breifne’, which in part explored the landscape of ‘Dartry MacClancy’1. Considering its potential as a
stand-alone case-study, the lordship centre of the MacClancys at Rosclogher then became the basis
for an archaeological survey in 2009, partially funded by the Heritage Council of Ireland and aided by
1 This MA thesis is unpublished and was written by this author for the Dept. of Archaeology, National
University of Ireland, Galway
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the Department of Archaeology, NUI, Galway and the Centre of Maritime Archaeology, University of
Ulster, Coleraine2. The current field survey of the archaeological sites at Gorteendarragh, which
forms part of the ‘Dartry MacClancy’ territory, is a direct follow-on from this research and it is also
partially funded by the Heritage Council.
1.3 Site Location
The townland of Gorteendarragh is located in North Co. Leitrim on the northern slopes of Dartry
Mountain and to the south-eastern end of Lough Melvin (see Fig. 1). The lordship centre at
Rosclogher, consisting of a tower-house, crannog, church and ringfort, is located on the lake directly
north of Gorteendarragh and there is good inter-visibility between it and the upper reaches of the
townland (see Ch. 3.2). Two separate survey areas were established during the course of the project,
with the location of Survey Area 1 to the southern centre of the townland and Survey Area 2 located
further north on the downward slope (see Ch. 2).
Fig. 1—Location of study area showing sites associated with the project (courtesy of R. McNeary)
2 Presented in an unpublished report by McDermott, McNeary, and O’Conor 2009 (Grant no: 17363)
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2. Survey Method and Strategy
________________________________________
2.1 Timeline of Survey
March—April 2010 Background Research and Field-walking survey
July—August 2010 Total-Station Survey Phase 1
September 2010 Total-Station Survey Phase 2
Sept.—November 2010 Data processing and Report writing
2.2 Methodology
Initially, a field-walking survey was carried out in the mountainous area around Gorteendarragh and
its bordering townlands which resulted in a sketch map being created showing all archaeological
sites and features as well as significant natural features in the area (see Fig. 2). Corresponding
research of primary sources was carried out at this stage, with a specific focus on the Records of
Monuments and Places (RMP) for the surveyed archaeological sites and monuments in the area (see
Ch. 3.1 for details). From past personal experience it was acknowledged that any local perspectives
on the study area would be very beneficial. Local historians were consulted with, as well as local
people who have resided in the area for a long period of time. In correspondence with the aims of
the survey, research into secondary material was constant throughout and a particular focus was
centred on the following themes: late medieval settlement and agriculture; booleying and seasonal
transhumance; prehistoric field systems.
The technical survey itself was carried out in two phases: Phase 1 for two weeks in July and Phase 2
for a further two weeks in September. The work was undertaken by two surveyors, Colm McKermott
and this author, and help was also given by the Department of Archaeology at NUI, Galway. All
previously-documented archaeological sites and features as well as some important natural and
modern features were surveyed in the initial phase (categorised in the plan drawings as Survey Area
1a and 1b) while previously undocumented sites and features were recorded in the second phase
(Survey Area 2). The recording was done with a Nikon total station DTM-652 device and a Trimble
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GeoExplorer handheld GNSS device. A series of station points were first acquired by the GNSS device
locating them accurately on the Irish National Grid (all co-ordinates are included in Table 1 and 2).
Several points on the sites and features were marked by bamboo posts and then recorded, with one
person taking a reading on the instrument while the other held the reflecting-theodolite. In Phase 1
over a thousand points were recorded in ten days with the weather being wet to moderate for most
of the time. The sites and features recorded in Survey Area 1a and 1b included Circular Enclosures 1
and 2, Hut-sites 1, 2, 3 and 4, Field Enclosure 1 and 2, a clay mound and several other fragmentary
ancient field walls. In Phase 2, the previously undocumented sites were recorded in the same way
and approximately three hundred points were taken. This was Survey Area 2 and included the large
rectangular enclosure with bank and ditch (Enclosure A), Hut-sites A, B, C and D and several lazy-bed
cultivation ridges. Line drawings of Enclosure A and all of the hut-sites were recorded in this phase
as well and were applied to the plan drawings at a later stage.
The plan drawings in the appendix of this report were created in ArcMap®, AutoCAD® and Adobe
Photoshop®. Firstly, the TS recordings were clarified in AutoCAD and then imported into ArcMap®,
where various data layers such as OSI (Ordnance Survey of Ireland) historical maps, ortho-
photographs and contour data were added and geo-referenced with the recorded data. The plans
were then rendered and edited in Photoshop®, with the application of more layers such as scanned
line-drawings and ortho-photographs, which showed up previously unseen features on the plans.
They were then illustrated with scale, north-arrow and legend. The result is a series of accurate and
illustrative plans for Survey Area 1a and 1b and Survey Area 2 (see Appendix 1 for plan drawings and
for site details, see Ch. 3.3). Many ground photographs were taken throughout the survey as well
and serve to illustrate the archaeology even more extensively (see List of plates). The advantage of
high ground in the vicinity proved to very complimentary in this regard.
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Fig. 2—Sketch map for initial field-walking survey (Survey Area 1 circled in red) (courtesy of R. McNeary)
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3. Site Morphology
________________________________________
3.1 Previous Research
The only previous research to be carried out at Gorteendarragh in the past has been done by the
Archaeological Survey of Ireland, the details of which are kept in the RMP files3 (see Table 1 for RMP
numbers of each site.) Much of these files include Michael Moore’s in-depth and accurate
descriptions from 1994, in which he applies the label ‘archaeological complex’ to the cluster of sites
and monuments this survey is based on. An earlier description with co-ordinates, written by O.
Davies, c. 1940, is included too but is very brief. The details of these files were subsequently
summarised by Moore in his compilation for the Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim (2003)
and the complex is here described as “an area of c. 4ha containing remnants of a field system...an
enclosure...and five hut sites”4. Elsewhere in the inventory, the enclosure and hut-sites are listed
under the ‘Prehistoric Settlement’ section5.
3.2 Landscape Setting
(*Abbreviations will be used in the following sections for the name of sites and for compass points
e.g. N = north.)
The study area is located in Gorteendarragh on the upper northern slopes of Aroo Mountain – a
large cliff-faced peak in the Dartry Mountains (H. 523m). The landscape is very rugged and rocky due
to the impact of glacial retreat during the last Ice Age. The underlying bedrock is made up of visean
limestone and calcerous shale6, while the land here is of generally poor quality as the soils are made
up of shallow-surface gleys7. The general topography of Survey Area 1 is a ridge of rough pasture at
the top of a steep slope (190m—260m OD) which overlooks Lough Melvin and Rosclogher Castle to
the north. On a clear day there are extensive views right across Donegal Bay to the north-west and
the Sperrin Mountains to the distant north-east. It is nestled amongst a series of peculiar glacial
formations, pyramidal in shape, and the immediate topography is made up of tiny grassy hillocks to
3 RMP File no. LE 2:28
4 Moore 2003, 39
5 Ibid. 29
6 Data from the Geological Survey of Ireland datasets public-viewer: www.spatial.dcenr.gov.ie
7 Data from the ENVision maps on the Environmental Protection Association website: www.epa.ie
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the north-west, a large rising slope further to the south and a boulder-strewn area at the centre and
to the east. The whole area is structured by modern dry-stone walls that run relatively parallel S-W.
These walls are constructed with a mixture of symmetrical and rough-cut limestone blocks and are
reinforced with barb-wire fencing by the current landowners (see Pl. 1 for overview of area).
Pl. 1—Overview of Survey Area 1 with Survey Area 2 circled in blue and Rosclogher Castle circled in red.
Survey Area 1a is structured by a series of four walls, which form three enclosed fields: an easterly
one, a westerly one and a central one. A perpendicular wall running E-W defines the southern
boundaries of these fields. To the west of the survey area and across the most westerly field
boundary a large and mature coniferous plantation is located running the length of the slope for the
most part. In Survey Area 1b the terrain is higher and more inhospitable. There are two walls here
running uphill N-S enclosing a very rugged area and it is defined by a steep hill at its centre. A narrow
stream is located c. 250m to the SE of the area. Survey Area 2 is located further downhill on the next
ridge, c. 300m N of Survey Area 1a. The location is a rush-covered field defined by modern fenced
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earthen embankments c. 80m apart. These embankments are the continuation of the field walls that
enclose the central field in Survey Area 1a. There are also a number of deciduous trees to the N and
S of the area. Well-cultivated fields, currently grazed on by sheep, cattle and donkeys, flank either
side of the field to the W and E respectively. There is also a trail of what appears to be a dried-up
stream running downhill from S and turning NE at the centre of the area (see Pl. 8). The views from
here towards Lough Melvin and Rosclogher Castle are not as extensive as that from further upland
due to the obstruction by trees.
3.3 Descriptions of Survey Area 1 (a & b)
Circular Enclosure 2 (CE 2) is located in the central field of Survey Area 1a, close to the SW corner of
the modern field walls. It is clearly defined as a circular/ovoid structure amongst the strewn stones
and boulders (see Pl. 2). The fabric of the wall footings are made up of loose limestone boulders as
well as embedded grass-covered stones. The enclosure has no apparent entrance but does have an
accumulation of boulders on its E side. This may be because it is positioned on a slight slope to W
and was built-up more so at this end so as to have a corresponding wall-height around the
enclosure. However, this is unlikely since the ground internally follows the line of the slope. A field
wall running NE-SW comes very near to the W end of it and, considering they have similar wall
structures, they would initially appear to be contemporaneous. This wall forms the E end of Field
Enclosure 2 (FE 2) which itself covers a large sub-triangular area partially in the central modern field
and partially in the western field also. Interestingly, this same wall continues beyond the S corner of
the enclosure but peters out before it reaches the modern field boundary. Ortho-photographs
(courtesy of OSI) would suggest that it continues further S across the wall, possibly joining another
field wall running E-W (see Plan 2 in Appendix I). From this evidence it could actually be deciphered
that another large rectangular enclosure existed to the S of FE 2. The concentration here of strewn
boulders and a slight slope to S makes it impossible to fully decipher it as an enclosure.
FE 2 is much more defined and has a long curvilinear wall to the N where the loose boulders are less
frequent and the embedded stones are more apparent. Hut-site 1 is internally adjoined to the wall
at this end and is defined by intermittent grass-covered stones (see Pl. 3). This small structure
appears to have a direct correlation with the wall it is adjoined to in its position and structure but,
similarly with all of these sites, a lack of dating proves it is impossible to fully interpret their
relationship to each other. Similarly, a correlation clearly exists between Field Enclosure 1 and FE 2.
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Field Enclosure 1 (FE 1) is a sub-circular structure located in the grassier area of the western modern
field and is adjoined seamlessly to FE 2 by inter-connecting walls to the NE and SE (see Pl. 4). The
enclosure is generally unexposed to its wider surrounds and there is a clear bowl-shaped depression
internally. Two possible hut-sites were also deciphered within the enclosure: a rectangular example
adjoined to the outer wall to the NE and a sub-circular one situated near the centre. These were
both partially defined by intermittently embedded stones. There is also a possible entrance to the
W, meaning it is not facing into FE 2 but into the open field at the other end. To the SW of the
enclosure, there is a hillock overlooking the entire complex. From this prominent point most of the
sites in Survey Area 1a and 1b can be sighted and this is where Hut-site 2 is located. It has a robust
circular bank made up of embedded grass-covered boulders (see Pl. 5). Its position is intriguing since
it is extremely exposed to the prevailing wind at that point and it is therefore possible that the wide
wall-footings form the base of a reinforced hut structure.
Circular Enclosure 1 (CE 1) is located to the E end of Survey Area 1b on a slight ridge of very unlevel
and stony terrain. Similar to CE 2, it is well defined and is slightly ovoid in shape but, unlike CE 2, it
does not have has much strewn boulder in its vicinity. Some large boulders do make up its structure
but again, there are clearly some embedded stones around its perimeter too. An isolated field wall
runs NW-SE just 20 m to the north of the enclosure, stopping just short of the eastern modern wall.
It is much more defined with large boulders than the previously-discussed field walls. Across the
modern wall to the W, there are two further field walls located in an area of frequently strewn rocks.
These are clearly defined from a position further up the mountain to the S (see Pl. 6) but are harder
to decipher on the ground. The most westerly one runs N-S and the easterly one runs NE-SW and
they are separated c. 20 – 50m apart. They both peter out and terminate at the base of the steeply
rising slope to S. Further W from these and close to a modern field wall, there is an irregular shaped
mound standing out from the immediate topography (H. 1.4m). It appears to be made of clay and is
more geological in structure than archaeological.
Further upland on a ridge just below the top of a steep slope and directly east of CE 1, there are a
cluster of features that may be related to the other sites in Survey Area 1a and 1b. Hut-site 3 and
Hut-site 4 are almost identical structures located within 2m of each other and adjoined by a
collapsed field wall running E-W (see Pl. 7). They share similar characteristics to Hut-site 1 but are
slightly smaller and have larger boulders that define their perimeters. The field wall runs E-W,
beginning at the base of the steep slope to the W and continuing across the ridge and downhill to
the E before adjoining another field wall, which runs perpendicularly up a slight hillock to NW where
it eventually becomes redundant (see Plan 3 in Appendix I for overview).
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Site type RMP number(s) Nat. Grid Ref.
(centre-point)
Dimensions/shape Internal Features
FE 1 LE 002-028007 G 8393, 5270 29.5m N-S x 34.3m E-W; Wth:
0.6m /circular
2 possible hut-sites;
possible entrance to
W (Wth: 1.2m)
FE 2 LE 002-028005
LE 002-028006
G 8397, 5269 63m NE-SW x 79m NW-SE;
Wth: 0.6m to 2 m /curvilinear
Adjoined to Hut-site 1
CE 1 LE 002-028001 G 8413, 5254 8.7m NE-SW x 7.25m NW-SE;
Wth: 2m /oval
______
CE 2 LE 002-028003 G 8400, 5266 11m N-S x 8.8m E-W
Wth: 2.5m /oval
______
Hut site 1 LE 002-028004 G 8397, 5272 4.4m N-S x 4.7m E-W;
Wth: 1.3m /circular
______
Hut site 2 LE 002-028009 G 8390, 5266 6.8m N-S x 6.2m E-W;
Wth: 2m /circular
______
Hut site 3 LE 002-028011 G 8393 5257 4m N-S x 3.8m E-W;
Wth: 1.2m /circular
______
Hut site 4 ______ G 8392 5257 3.8m N-S x 3.5m E-W;
Wth: 1.2m /circular
______
Table 1—Sites and Monuments from Survey Area 1
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Pl. 2—Circular Enclosure 2 from south-east
Pl. 3—Hut-site 1 from south-east
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Pl. 4—Field Enclosure 2 from south
Pl. 5—Hut-site 2 from north-west
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Pl. 6—Field Wall remains (to left of modern wall) and Circular Enclosure 1 (to right) from south-west
Pl. 7—Hut-sites 5 and 6 with adjoining field wall (at centre) from south-east
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3.4 Descriptions of Survey Area 2
Enclosure A is located to the E of Survey Area 2 on level and fairly rush-covered terrain. It is clearly
defined by a rectangular earthen bank and a slight outer ditch or fosse. Its long-axis is orientated NE
– SW and the ditch defines its outer perimeter to the NE, NW and SW. It would appear that a larger
ditch that once formed part of a stream running from S and turning NE in the area defines its
perimeter at SE. A rectangular feature at the NW corner of the enclosure suggests some form of
inner partition and a break in the bank at the centre of the NE side indicate an entrance. This,
therefore, suggests that we are dealing with a house-site of some sort, possibly a timber-constructed
long-house (see also Pl. 8).
Directly to the E of this are Hut-site A and Hut-site B, both located to the N and S of each other
respectively and 4m away from the modern field boundary further to the E. These are quite small
and insubstantial features that are defined by low sub-rectangular earthen walls and can barely be
deciphered among the frequent clumps of rushes. Hut-site B would appear to have thicker walls and
is slightly longer than Hut-site A and a gap to its NE corner would suggest an entrance.
Hut-site C is located 7m to the W of Enclosure A and appears to have the very same structure as
Hut-site A. Again, it is defined by a low sub-rectangular earthen wall and is hard to decipher on the
ground because of the presence of rushes. Hut-site D is located 10m to the NW of the enclosure and
is slightly different in structure to the others. It is more rectangular in shape and has thinner earthen
boundaries. As with Hut-site C, it must be stated that the ground evidence of its structure is only
intermittently seen.
The evidence of lazy-bed cultivation ridges is much more obvious and, in total, there were 16
examples recorded, spread across the entire field, some much larger than others. They vary in length
from 3m to 12m and are defined by low, narrow linear banks, c. 1m in width. The alignment of all
ridges is NW-SE, which interestingly corresponds with the small-axis of Enclosure A. There is a
concentration of seven ridges to the W and NW of the enclosure while five are located immediately
to the N and the remaining four are located further N of the enclosure, to the E of Hut-site D. These
are very uniform in shape and structure and would clearly indicate a close association with both the
enclosure and the hut-sites (See Plan 4 in Appendix I for overview).
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Site type Nat. Grid Ref.
(centre point)
Dimensions/shape Internal Features
Enclosure A G 8406, 5296 18.4m NE-SW x 13.3m NW-SE
Wth: 2.2m /rectangular
Rectangular partition in NW corner 5.2m x 2.6m; possible entrance in NE wall (Wth: 0.7m)
Hut site A G 8407, 5296 7.1m N-S x 6.7m E-W Wth: 1.2m /rectangular
______
Hut site B G 8407, 5297 9.1m N-S x 6.8m E-W; Wth: 1.5m /rectangular
Possible entrance at N corner (Wth: 0.5m)
Hut site C G 8494, 5297 5.2m N-S x 5m E-W; Wth: 1.2m /oval
______
Hut site D G 8405, 5298 8.8m NE-SW x 5m NW-SE; Wth: 1.6m /rectangular
Possible entrance in SE wall (Wth: 0.6m)
Table 2—Sites and Monuments from Survey Area 2
Pl. 8—Enclosure A from south-west (Hut-site A and B are located to the right centre)
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4. Discussion and Conclusions
________________________________________
4.1 Overview
The aim of this survey was to establish a chronological link between the late medieval lordship at
Rosclogher and the archaeological sites and monuments of Gorteendarragh but, without any
scientific dating available, finding specific chronological evidence proved impossible. However, the
significance of the archaeology surveyed here will be discussed and some hypotheses will be offered
in regard to their origin and function nonetheless. Some comparative examples and historical
sources will aid in this discussion.
The field systems, enclosures and hut-sites in Survey Area 1 have an enigmatic character and it
would be negligent to simply suggest a predominantly agricultural function for the site. One just
needs to glance at the rugged and inhospitable landscape here to see its unsuitability as a base for
farming, but such is the complexity of these upland sites that it is difficult to classify its exact
function from the available evidence. The size of Field Enclosure 1 and its clear structure association
with Field Enclosure 2 certainly point to it being a fold for keeping livestock (see Pl. 11) but the
scattering of boulders within its perimeter (particularly to the east) provide a stumbling block to any
agricultural-based interpretation. We may also look to the problematic location and structure of
Circular Enclosure 2 in relation to the two field enclosures. Is it contemporaneous with them or is it a
precursor to a later field system? Is it a simple hut-site like the others or is it more complicated,
possibly related to ritual activities rather than domestic or farming functions? It is best to reserve
these questions for when there is more evidence available but assessing some comparative
examples may provide some enlightened thought for the time being.
4.2 Comparative multi-phase sites
Survey Area 1 has many parallels with the settlement complex at Ballyutoag, Co. Antrim. This is an
area of good mountain-land pasture located NW of Belfast (between 167m and 243m OD). In 1980 a
series of field systems, two conjoined curvilinear enclosures and a group of circular hut platforms
were discovered there by a team of archaeologists from the Department of the Environment,
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Northern Ireland8. Excavations on a house-site within one of the enclosures followed and radio-
carbon dates as well as artefactual evidence pointed to four structural phases in the early medieval
period9. This and evidence for ‘squatter’s hearths’ led to the suggestion that the site may have acted
as a transhumant village10. The layout of monuments at Gorteendarragh is not nearly as intricate nor
is it on the same scale as Ballyutoag (see Fig. 3) but its distribution of field systems and enclosures
and its mountainous location are quite similar. It may well be the case that Survey Area 1 at
Gorteendarragh was more intricate at one time, with the possibility that the remnant field walls
such as those in the vicinity of Circular Enclosure 1 (Survey Area 1b) once formed a series of other
field enclosures that were attached to Field Enclosure 1 (Survey 1a). The accumulations of strewn
boulders in this area and the probability that the modern field walls were re-built with the material
from older field walls would be indicative of this.
The evidence for another transhumant village at Goodland, Co. Antrim provides more interesting
parallels. This is an enigmatic upland complex consisting of several hut sites and field systems that,
when excavated, showed up a series of occupational phases ranging from the Neolithic, the early
medieval and into the late medieval period11. However, a recent re-evaluation of this evidence in
conjunction with a digital survey of the area postulates that the sites were also re-used as a
settlement by Highland Scottish planters in the early 17th century12. It may be noted that the hut-
sites with late medieval dates at Goodland have dimensions that range from the smallest at 4.2m by
3.1m (Goodland C) to the largest at 10.6m by 6.4m (Goodland I)13. In contrast the 4 hut-sites at
Survey Area 1 in Gorteendarragh are more circular and range from 3.7m by 3.4m (hut-site 4) to 6.8m
by 6.2m (hut-site 2), but it can be argued that when sites like these are excavated, their shapes turn
out to be more rectangular than circular or ovoid14.
8 Williams 1984, 37-49
9 Ibid. 40
10 Ibid. 48
11 Case, Dimbley, Mitchell, Morrison and Proudfoot 1969, 43-44
12 Horning and Brannon 2004, 28-31
13 Categorised in a table detailing booley-huts from five sites across the British Isles in Rathbone 2010, 117-118
14 Ibid. 112
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Fig. 3—Plan of settlement complex at Ballyutoag (after Williams 1984)
Pl. 9—Field Enclosure 1 adjoined by walls of Field Enclosure 2 from the north-east
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4.3 Booleying and Cultivation Ridges
It has been postulated in the SMR (Sites and Monuments Record) for Northern Ireland that
Goodland is an example of a “classic booley settlement”15 and although there may be a difficulty in
this exact classification it may be worthwhile to probe into the principal elements of booleying as a
practise. The idea was centred on the economical significance of livestock and land to a rural
community. It was a seasonal process, whereby cattle were herded to upper lands at the end of
spring and kept to graze upon the plentiful grass throughout the summer. The people themselves
stayed with their cattle, pastorally tending to their herd by feeding and milking them16. Usually the
cattle would be kept in enclosures (the Irish ‘buaile’ translates as ‘enclosure on summer pasture’ 17),
while the people themselves lived in temporary hut-sites close by or adjacent to the enclosures18.
These upland locations were not suitable for permanent occupation due to their inhospitable nature
during the winter and so the community would return to the lowlands by the end of September19.
The origins of transhumance is continuously debated due to the elusive and inconsistent nature of
their form, structure and date and may well have had a basis in prehistory20. However, from
historical sources, it can be ventured that booleying played an important role in the agricultural
economy of the Gaelic Irish throughout the late medieval period21.
Detailed studies of these types of settlements have been carried out across Achill Island22 and a
variety of structures of probable multi-period date (not unlike Goodland) have been excavated in the
uplands of Slievemore to the north-west of the island over the last twenty years by the Achill
Archaeological Field-school23. According to local tradition, the area was utilised as a transhumant
village (called Dooagh) right up until the 19th and early 20th century24 but stratigraphical and
artefactual evidence suggest activity dating back to the 7th century AD and right through into the
later medieval period25. The evidence for associated lazy-bed cultivation ridges was noted and they
15
Horning and Brannon, 28 16
O’Sullivan and Downey 2003, 34 17
McDonald 2010, 209 18
Ibid. 209 19
Rathbone, 111 20
Booleying discussed as a prehistoric phenomenon by Lucas 1989, while transhumance in the Iron Age discussed by McKillop 2005, 101-3 21
O’Conor 1998, 74 22
Theresa McDonald’s current PhD study for NUI, Galway is based on transhumance on Achill Island 23
Summarised information of excavations at the deserted village of Slievemore for each consecutive year since 1991 up until 2007 can be retrieved at www.excavations.ie. 24
O Moghrain 1943, 170-171 25
Bennett (ed.) 2006
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were interpreted to have been used as oats and rye crops rather than potato26. This then brings us
to the discussion of cultivation in the context of booley sites.
Small scale cultivation ridges are one of the common traits found in booley settlements right across
the British Isles and Ireland27 and they were most likely introduced to Ireland by English settlers from
the 12th century onwards28. It is suggested that curvilinear-shaped ridges were more common than
straight-line ones until the eighteenth century when the latter became more widespread29. This may
put the date of the lazy beds at Survey Area 2 at Gorteendarragh to the post-medieval period but
there is no illustration of the settlement as a whole on the OS 1st edition maps of the 1830s and
locals do not seem to know of its origin. Therefore it seems to have been abandoned before the
early 19th century. Of considerable interest, Gorteendarragh translates as ‘little tilled field of the
oaks’ 30 which means that the tradition of cultivated fields existed in the townland for some time
prior to the 19th century. It is generally the case nevertheless that the techniques of cultivation
varied in response to the soil conditions and here at Gorteendarrgh the soils are very thin and
applicable land for crop rotation is elusive.
The presence of small out-buildings, field systems and their location near small streams are also
commonly associated with booley settlements31 and we can see most of these at Survey Area 2,
which would appear to be a fairly desirable location in the context of its immediate hilly and
inhospitable surrounds. A series of lazy-beds in conjunction with a small settlement consisting of a
house-site (Enclosure A), associated out-buildings (Hut-sites A-D) would lead one to believe that this
site once had an imbued status above any other in the locality. The absence of field systems proves
to be problematic but there is a probability that the open fields to the east and west of the
settlement were levelled in more modern times and therefore hide potential field-wall structures
beneath the soil. A geo-physical survey around these areas would clarify the outcome of this
hypothesis.
26
Bennett (ed.) 2006 27
Rathbone, 112 28
O’Conor, 34 29
Bell 1984, 81 30
Parts of the place-name were dissected and translated from evidence in Flanagan & Flanagan 2002 31
Rathbone, 112
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4.4 Associations with the Late Medieval Period
The potential link to the late medieval period is very much evident when we consider the survey of a
late medieval Gaelic lordship site at Carns, Co. Roscommon32. Here the remains of house-sites and
adjacent cultivation ridges were digitally surveyed by the Discovery Programme as part of their
Medieval Rural Settlement Project. It was postulated from the available evidence that a community
of farmers resided here and relied on small-scale cultivation and stock management throughout the
later medieval period and outside of English settlers’ influence33. Considering the lack of English
influence at ‘Dartry MacClancy’ up until the end of the 16th century34, this could well be
hypothesised for the sites and features at Survey Area 2 also.
From medieval literature, we find that the upland areas of north-west Breifne were densely covered
by woodland and were frequently utilised as a defensive refuge by the Gaelic princes of that
region35. For example, in 1589 Brian ‘na murtha’ O Rourke escaped from an English raid on his
tower-house at Newtown (now Parkes Castle) by launching a boat onto Lough Gill and taking flight
across land and into the “woods and fastnesses” of the surrounding hills36. What is most significant
for this discussion is that a year earlier in the winter of 1588 the chief of Dartry, Téige Óg MacClancy,
fled to the mountains when an English army, led by Lord Deputy Fitzwilliam to seek out any Spanish
soldiers being sheltered by the Gaelic Irish, encroached upon his lands37. It must be understood from
these actions that MacClancy was not merely escaping to the hills in desperation to save his throne.
This was obviously a proven tactical plan that was guided by the strength of local knowledge and
tradition and was arguably utilised on more than one occasion if we are to read into the frustrating
remarks of the various English governors from the time38. In De Cuellar’s narrative he observes that
the chief took his people, his cattle and the church repositories from his base at Rosclogher to the
adjacent mountains while the Spaniard himself, and his compatriots, safeguarded the tower-house
for 17 days39. This has prompted me to assume that MacClancy acknowledged the existence of a
built settlement in the Dartry mountains which was good enough to enclose his cattle and shelter
and sustain the needs and requirements of his people for a long period of time.
32
Shanahan and McNeary 2008 33
Ibid, 192 34
Evidence for predominant Gaelic settlement in later medieval NW Breifne discussed by McDermott in MA thesis 2007, 55-68 35
Ibid. 97 36
McDermot 1991, 62 37
Allingham and Crawford 1897, 34-35; for more detailed information on the ‘siege’ at Rosclogher see McDermott, McNeary and O’Conor, 14-16, 19-20 38
Calendar of State Papers 1595, 195; McDermot, 57 39
Allingham and Crawford, 35
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4.5 Conclusion
There is little doubt that the late medieval landscape of ‘Dartry MacClancy’ (part of the wider Breifne
landscape) was influenced in no small measure by the landscapes that were managed and imbued
by the earlier inhabitants before them. It is effectively the same geographical landscape ever since
the first settlers arrived here, with the exception of dried-up streams, de-forestated areas and re-
structured field boundaries. However, the mental landscape constantly changes over time as it is
impacted by the onset of new agricultural methods, political rule, warfare, changing belief systems
etc.40
To gain a better understanding and to find more solid links to the various occupational phases at the
sites and monuments of Gorteendarragh, some further work in the form of geo-physical survey and
test-excavations are hugely desirable (See Ch. 6). For now, it may be concluded that the archaeology
presented in the plan drawings and discussed above is extremely intricate and deserving of wider
recognition. Their significance to the debate on re-use of settlement and agricultural land-use and
management over various phases must be acknowledged, as should their potential to the study of
rural Gaelic settlement in late medieval Ireland, of which, I believe, there is much potential evidence
examine here.
40
Keller 1997, 87
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5. Benefit to Local Heritage
________________________________________
The results of this survey and the previous survey at Rosclogher Castle has garnered much interest
from locals and the general population in Co. Leitrim thusfar. This is mainly due to the exposure of
the 2009 survey at Rosclogher in local media circles which was received warmly by local historians
and other genuinely interested people from the area. The survey was communicated through an
informative article on the history of the castle in an annual county journal, The Leitrim Guardian
201041, and a talk was given at the North Leitrim Glens centre, Manorhamilton at the end of 2009 on
the theme of ‘Captain de Cuellar and Rosclogher castle’. The talk coincided with the opening of an
historical-arts workshop directed by Donal O’Kelly centring on the narrative of De Cuellar. The
workshop has since developed into a stage production currently touring around the country and is
entitled ‘The Adventures of the Wet Señor’. As a result, De Cuellar’s narrative has achieved
recognition in the media nationwide and was featured on Pat Kenny’s RTE Radio 1 show.
It may be of considerable interest to some people that this survey has uncovered the location of an
important past settlement site (discussed as Survey Area 2 in this report), which forms part of a
wider and hugely significant archaeological landscape. According to Policy 8.5a of Section 2 in the
Leitrim County Development Plan 2009—201542, it is stated that public awareness of the rich
archaeological heritage within the county be promoted. It is the belief of this author that the
archaeological sites and monuments at Gorteendarragh, and their association to the historically-
significant MacClancy lordship centre at Rosclogher, form part of this rich archaeological heritage
and they have a huge potential in being promoted to the wider population, to locals and visitors
alike. There is no doubt that this is a magnificent and unique landscape here in north Co. Leitrim and,
just as it has shaped the minds of its past inhabitants, it continues to be a source of pride for its
present occupants. To maintain its place as such, it is imperative that archaeological sites like these
continue to be preserved and constantly promoted within the wider cultural spectrum.
41
McDermott 2009, 11-13 42
Leitrim County Development Plan 2009—2015, 126-127 (available at www.leitrimcoco.ie)
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6. Future Research
_________________________________________
As was discussed above, it is envisioned that in the near the future some test-excavations will be
carried out on the archaeological sites at Gorteendarragh. Some trenches within and along the
boundaries of Field Enclosures 1 and 2, and Circular Enclosure 2 of Survey Area 1, for example,
would be hugely beneficial to our overall understanding of the site. It would clarify the complexity of
the site and would also establish more clearly the structure of these enclosures and their association
to each other. The possibility of finds would also shed more light on the date-ranges for the site. In
Survey Area 2 a trench across the base of Enclosure A and through some of the adjacent cultivation
ridges would be desirable also. An initial geo-physical survey (preferably ground-penetrating radar)
of both areas would also highlight any before-unseen features, which would aid in locating the test-
trenches at the most advantageous position.
An article focusing on the current results of this survey and on the previous survey at Rosclogher
Castle is currently being prepared in collaboration with Dr. Kieran O’Conor and will hopefully be
published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2011. This will highlight the archaeology of ‘Dartry
MacClancy’ to a wider audience and stimulate debate on the associations between the lordship
centre at Rosclogher and the settlement sites at Gorteendarragh. It will also form a scope for further
research and field-work to be undertaken on aspects of booley hut-site classification and dating and
the structure of medieval agricultural landscapes for example.
Due to the funding from the Heritage Council, the interest of the local public has become a main
concern throughout these surveys (see Ch. 5) and it will be a primary objective in any future work
that the local media and groups of interest be constantly communicated with. The establishment of
archaeological walks in the Dartry Mountains and the erection of information sign-posts for the
Gorteendarragh sites and Rosclogher Castle would be a substantial benefit to the heritage tourism in
the area and would aid in the future preservation of these sites as well. And in achieving this, I
believe it would be the most lasting and positive outcome of the current survey work.
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Appendix I — Plan Drawings
________________________________________
Fig. 4—Location of study area on Discovery series map (sheet 16: courtesy of OSI)
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Plan 1—Overview of the entire study area
Gorteendarragh Field Survey Report JJ McDermott, 2010
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Plan 2—Survey Area 1a
Gorteendarragh Field Survey Report JJ McDermott, 2010
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Plan 3—Survey Area 1b
Gorteendarragh Field Survey Report JJ McDermott, 2010
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Plan 4—Survey Area 2