Athlone South is a barony of County Roscommon, in the historical province of Connacht (Irish: Baile Átha Luain Theas), covering 347 km² of land. The barony records 753 NMS archaeological sites and 10 NIAH listed buildings, placing it at around the 61st percentile among 280 ROI baronies for sites per km². This means it is in the upper half of all baronies for sites per km². Dated archaeological evidence runs from the Iron Age through to the Post Medieval, spanning 4 of 9 archaeological periods, placing the barony in the 4th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for chronological depth. This means it is in the bottom tenth of all baronies for chronological depth. The largest dated subset of recorded sites dates to the Medieval. Logainm flags 25 placenames in the barony as carrying a recognised heritage root; the largest share — around 56% — are names associated with early Christian church and monastic foundations.
Heritage at a glance
Percentile rankings throughout this profile compare each barony only against the other 279 Republic of Ireland baronies.
The recorded heritage of Athlone South
The National Monuments Service Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) is the statutory inventory of archaeological sites for the Republic of Ireland, maintained by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Sites recorded here include earthworks, ringforts, megalithic tombs, ecclesiastical remains, and post-medieval features; not every record is legally protected, but each is registered as a monument of archaeological interest.
The National Monuments Service records 753 archaeological sites in Athlone South, putting it at the 61st percentile among 280 ROI baronies for sites per km². This means it is in the upper half of all baronies for sites per km². Protection coverage is near-universal — 703 sites (93%) fall within a recorded monument protection zone, indicating an extensively surveyed landscape. The dominant category is defensive sites — ringforts, enclosures, hillforts, and stone forts (355 sites, 47% of the record). Ringfort – rath is the most prevalent type, making up 23% of the barony's recorded sites (172 records), broadly in line with the ROI average of 20% across all baronies where this type occurs. Ringfort – rath is an earthen ringfort enclosed by a bank and external ditch — the most common Early Medieval farmstead, broadly dated 500–1000 AD. Other significant types include Ringfort – cashel (100) and Enclosure (32). Ringfort – cashel is the stone-walled equivalent of the rath, found mainly in upland or western areas, broadly dated 500–1000 AD; Enclosure is a banked or ditched feature of uncertain type, used as a catch-all where the original function cannot be determined from surface evidence. Across the barony's 347 km², this gives a recorded density of 2.17 sites per km².
Most common monument types
Hover or tap a monument type to see its definition.
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| Ringfort – rath an earthen ringfort enclosed by a bank and external ditch — the most common Early Medieval farmstead, broadly dated 500–1000 AD | 172 |
| Ringfort – cashel the stone-walled equivalent of the rath, found mainly in upland or western areas, broadly dated 500–1000 AD | 100 |
| Enclosure a banked or ditched feature of uncertain type, used as a catch-all where the original function cannot be determined from surface evidence | 32 |
| House – indeterminate date a habitation building whose date cannot be determined from available evidence | 29 |
| Children's burial ground an unconsecrated medieval and early-modern burial ground for unbaptised or stillborn children, often called a cillín or ceallúnach | 22 |
| Structure – peatland a construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence, of any date | 17 |
| Field system a group of related fields forming a coherent agricultural landscape, of any date from the Neolithic onwards | 16 |
Chronological distribution
The dated archaeological record for Athlone South spans from the Iron Age through to the Post Medieval, with activity attested across 4 of 9 archaeological periods. This is the 4th percentile across ROI baronies — a relatively narrow chronological band, with much of Irish prehistory not represented in the dated record. Every period from earliest to latest is represented in the record — an unbroken sequence of dated activity across the full chronological span. Activity concentrates most heavily in the Medieval (9 sites, 45% of dated material), with the Early Medieval forming a secondary peak (5 sites, 25%). A further 22 recorded sites (52% of the overall NMS register for the barony) carry no period attribution — appearing as 'Unknown' in the bar chart below. This typically reflects either records that pre-date the standardised period vocabulary or sites awaiting specialist dating review, rather than a genuine absence of chronological evidence.
Sample of recorded monuments
Show 25 sample monuments (of 753 total)
A representative sample of 25 recorded monuments drawn from the barony’s 753 total NMS entries. Sites within a recorded monument protection zone and rarer site types are prioritised so the list shows a meaningful cross-section rather than only the most common type. Each entry shows the official Sites and Monuments Record reference number and the description published by the National Monuments Service.
Inscribed stone
At the bottom of an E-facing slope. A datestone of 1770 (Wth 0.55m; H 0.5m) and a sillstone from Kellybrook castle (RO042-102001-) c. 500m to the N are kept at Kellybrook House (RO042-105001-).
Compiled by: Michael…
At the bottom of an E-facing slope. A datestone of 1770 (Wth 0.55m; H 0.5m) and a sillstone from Kellybrook castle (RO042-102001-) c. 500m to the N are kept at Kellybrook House (RO042-105001-).
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
House – 18th century
At the bottom of an E-facing slope, and at the W edge of a broad, flat-bottomed valley. This is a rectangular two storey three-bay house (ext. dims 12.75m E-W; 7.35m N-S), which is still occupied, with a return at the…
At the bottom of an E-facing slope, and at the W edge of a broad, flat-bottomed valley. This is a rectangular two storey three-bay house (ext. dims 12.75m E-W; 7.35m N-S), which is still occupied, with a return at the centre of the S side. It had large chimneystacks which have been replaced, and the fireplaces are blocked. It once had a stairs return on the N side. The house once extended further E with a room containing a fireplace and oven, and a fragment of its N wall remains (L 5.75m). The original plan and large chimney-stacks suggest that it might date to the 17th century. A datestone (RO042-105002-) of 1770 and a sillstone from Kellybrook castle (RO042-102001-) c. 500m to the N are kept at the house. Archaeological testing (19E0788) by A. Carey immediately to the W produced no related material (excavations. Ie 2019:0788).
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Amended: 30 October 2020
Cairn – clearance cairn
On the crest of a SW-facing slope and close to the W corner of a field. Grass-covered earth and stone cairn (dims 5.4m N-S; 3.8m E-W; H 1m) with an irregular surface, which is probably a clearance cairn.
Compiled by:…
On the crest of a SW-facing slope and close to the W corner of a field. Grass-covered earth and stone cairn (dims 5.4m N-S; 3.8m E-W; H 1m) with an irregular surface, which is probably a clearance cairn.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Historic town
On a NW-SE peninsula (max. dims c. 1.3 km NW-SE; c. 600m NE-SW) enclosing c. 54 ha on the W shore of Lough Ree, at a central and narrow point of the lake. There may have been pre-Anglo-Norman settlement on the peninsula…
On a NW-SE peninsula (max. dims c. 1.3 km NW-SE; c. 600m NE-SW) enclosing c. 54 ha on the W shore of Lough Ree, at a central and narrow point of the lake. There may have been pre-Anglo-Norman settlement on the peninsula represented by the promontory fort (RO046-004001-), a church at the graveyard (RO046-004023-), the rath (RO046-004035-). The O'Conor kings may have used Safe Harbour and its nausts (RO046-004040-) on the NE shore in the 1150s when they maintained a fleet on Lough Ree, although there are no references to this.
In 1200 John de Courcy used the peninsula as a base in Connaught, but the development of the town, which never had a charter, began in 1227 when Turlough O'Conor and Geoffry Marshall commenced building the castle (RO046-004002-) of Rindown. The only reference to murage is in 1251, and burgesses from 1244 to 1310 when the rent amounted to £5, suggesting that there were about 100 families resident. The town suffered a number of attacks until 1342 when it was described as being in Irish hands, after which references cease until 1544 when the castle may have been in ruins as only the Crutched friary (RO046-004005-) is mentioned and continued to be described into the 17th century.
The town wall (RO046-004004-) was built c. 1250 and the principal thoroughfare probably led from its gate to the castle. A hillshade aerial survey of Rindoon conducted in 2015 by Simon Dowling shows a street running NW from the castle towards the shore at the S end of the wall…
Promontory fort – inland
At a point where the bay of Safe Harbour (RO046-004011-) impinges on the NE shore of Rindown peninsula. A bank and fosse extend NE-SW across the peninsula to a pond close to the SW shore (L c. 200m). Its N end is…
At a point where the bay of Safe Harbour (RO046-004011-) impinges on the NE shore of Rindown peninsula. A bank and fosse extend NE-SW across the peninsula to a pond close to the SW shore (L c. 200m). Its N end is incorporated into the defences of the castle (RO046-004002-), but its S end consists of a broad bank (L c. 100m; Wth 8.5m; int. H at SE 1.1m; ext. H 2m) and a flat-bottomed fosse (Wth of top 18m; Wth of base 11.5m; D 1.5m). The bank declines towards the SW end (Wth 4m; int. H 0.5m; ext. H 1.3m), but the defences enclose c. 20 ha to the SE. The wall (RO046-004018-) is built just to the SE of the bank and parallel with it. The fosse and bank are interpreted by O’Conor et al. (2014, 315-6) as possibly representing the SE edge of the town and providing a boundary with demesne land associated with the castle (RO046-004002-) at the tip of the peninsula.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 29 April 2015
Castle – Anglo-Norman masonry castle
Situated on a knoll on the NE shore of the Rindown peninsula, just SE of the bay called Safe Harbour. Rindown castle is a Registered Monument but it is in a badly overgrown state and a report of February 2017 highlights…
Situated on a knoll on the NE shore of the Rindown peninsula, just SE of the bay called Safe Harbour. Rindown castle is a Registered Monument but it is in a badly overgrown state and a report of February 2017 highlights the inherently unsafe nature of the monument.
The castle was begun in 1227 by Turlough, son of Ruraí O'Conor, and Geoffry de Marisco, the ward was probably not completed until the 1230s. O’Conor et al. (2014, 317) postulate that it is on the site of an earlier earthwork fortification, which would account for its sub-triangular shape. The castle was attacked by Felim, son of Cathal Crovderg for the cattle of Brian, grandson of Ruaraí O'Conor. The castle was attacked in 1270 and 1272, when it was severely damaged but repaired in 1273-8 which included work on the fosse. In 1299-1302 the hall was built, but the last reference to a constable is in 1327. By 1342-3 it was in Irish hands, after which it is not mentioned again until the 16th century and probably went into disrepair rapidly. The careers of many of the Constables are known (O'Brien 2009). In 1578 it was granted to George Goodman who made the repairs evident in the curtain wall. (FitzPatrick 1935, 177-80; Bradley and Dunne 1985, 70-4; Harbison 1995; Claffey 1978; Claffey 2004a; O'Conor 2007, 193-4)
Only the NW part of the keep (ext. dims. 19.1m NE-SW; c. 14.5m NW-SE) survives, consisting of one barrel-vaulted chamber (int. dims. 13.9m NE-SW; 3.6m NW-SE; H 3.9m) of an original two on the ground f…
Town defences
The town wall of Rindown (L c. 500m) crosses the peninsula NE-SW just where it emerges from the mainland, and forms the townland boundary between Warren with the town of Rindown to its SE and Rinnagan to the NW. It was…
The town wall of Rindown (L c. 500m) crosses the peninsula NE-SW just where it emerges from the mainland, and forms the townland boundary between Warren with the town of Rindown to its SE and Rinnagan to the NW. It was probably built after 1251 when funds were granted for the enclosure of Rindown. It has a gateway and three mural towers. The wall survives in good condition (H c. 3m) with an outer base-batter, evidence of a wall-walk and a levelling-up line (H c. 1-1.5m over ground level). A programme of conservation began in 2008, beginning with the most southerly tower. (Bradley and Dunne 1988a, 68-70)
At the NE end a short section (L 4.5m; H 2.25m) extends into the lake 20m from the shore where the intact wall (L 56m; max. H 3.15m) extends to the first mural tower. The wall has an outer base-batter (H 0.8m) and a levelling course (H 1.65-2.1m) but no evidence of a wall-walk (max. int. H 2.8m). The first tower is rectangular (int. dims 3m x 3m) projecting NW from the town wall which forms its SE side and has a base-batter and some surviving quoins. The ground floor is featureless, but at the first floor the SE side is open and the floor was supported on joists set in the NE and SW walls. This floor has lights in each of the three walls.
The town wall continues (L 80m; ext. H 0.9-2.9m) to the second mural tower with an external base-batter (H 0.75m) and a levelling course (H 1.4m), but this section of wall is in poor condition. The rectangular tower (int. dims c. 3m…
Religious house – Fratres Cruciferi
Situated c. 200m outside the town wall of Rindown. Possibly founded by King John and Philip de Angelo c. 1215 as the Church of St. John the Baptist at Tea-eon, as a house of Crutched Friars. References date positively…
Situated c. 200m outside the town wall of Rindown. Possibly founded by King John and Philip de Angelo c. 1215 as the Church of St. John the Baptist at Tea-eon, as a house of Crutched Friars. References date positively from 1372 when the poet and historian Sean O Dubagain was buried here. It was suppressed and granted to Christopher Davers in 1569 and leased to George Goodman in 1588. In 1596 it was described as a church roofed in shingles, a cloister, and three decayed houses. A belfry is mentioned in 1605-06. (Bradley and Dunne 1988a, 76-7; Gwynne and Hadcock 1988, 215-6)
Only the church oriented N-S, which may be the S transept of a larger church, survives almost complete as a rectangular building (int. dims 11.05m N-S; 5.9m E-W) with dressed quoins, those at the NW and NE angles with chamfers. The E wall is featureless, while the S wall has one robbed window in a round-headed embrasure and the W wall has two destroyed windows which have diagonal tooling on their dressed ingoings. The church was entered through a flat-arched opening (Wth 1.8m; H 2.2m) in the N wall. This was approached from the N by a passage through a later structure (RO046-004028-) (ext. dims 7.3m E-W; 4m N-S) to its N which may have been a tower. Only the base survives, but it has a mural stairs in the E wall. A post-Suppression phase of use is suggested for the church by the partial blocking of the S window over a robbed brick-lined window, but this would have been ended by the late 18th century wh…
Cairn – unclassified
On a slight E-W rise. Grass-covered earth an stone mound (diam. 4.3m E-W; 4.1m N-S; H 0.9-1.4m) with facing stones visible SW-NW and at E (original diam. 3m E-W). Barrow (RO048-002001-) is c. 20m to the SW.
Compiled…
On a slight E-W rise. Grass-covered earth an stone mound (diam. 4.3m E-W; 4.1m N-S; H 0.9-1.4m) with facing stones visible SW-NW and at E (original diam. 3m E-W). Barrow (RO048-002001-) is c. 20m to the SW.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Castle – motte and bailey
In the valley of the N-S Cross river, with the stream c. 50m to the W. A natural grass-covered gravel ridge was adapted into a flat-toped oval mound (dims of base 60m NE-SW; c. 50m NW-SE; dims of top 34m NE-SW; 21.5m…
In the valley of the N-S Cross river, with the stream c. 50m to the W. A natural grass-covered gravel ridge was adapted into a flat-toped oval mound (dims of base 60m NE-SW; c. 50m NW-SE; dims of top 34m NE-SW; 21.5m NW-SE; H 5.3m at NE to 7.5m at SW) by digging a fosse (Wth of top c. 9m; Wth of base 2.4m; D 1.4m) and outer bank (Wth 12.5m; ext. H 2m) SSW-NNW. From N-E a fosse (Wth of top c. 14m; Wth of base 2.4m; D 3.2m) cuts off the tail of the ridge to serve as a roughly crescent-shaped bailey (dims 21m N-S; 15m E-W). Castle (RO048-113002-) is on the summit of the motte. (Graham 1988b, 25; Doran 2005, 376)
This is a National Monument in state ownership: No. 682
See the attached aerial image (001) taken from the NW, and the ground image (007) taken from the N.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
House – 17th/18th century
Land at Carrowkerran and Skeanamuck was owned by Laughlin McKeogh and his wife Margaret Fallon in 1654-58, which became the core of the Keoghville estate. Their son Edmond may have built this house in the late 17th or…
Land at Carrowkerran and Skeanamuck was owned by Laughlin McKeogh and his wife Margaret Fallon in 1654-58, which became the core of the Keoghville estate. Their son Edmond may have built this house in the late 17th or early 18th century (Moore 1978, 57). Christopher Jones had owned 180 acres at Sheaghnamuc and Corkip, most of it bog, in 1641, and Margaret Fallon is recorded as one of the owners in the 1660s. She also owned 99 acres at Carrowkryne, which had been owned by William Mc Loughlyn Keogh in 1641. (Simington 1949, 104)
Situated on an undulating landscape with lower marshy ground nearby. It is a rectangular seven bay structure of two storeys and attic (int. dims 25m E-W; 6.6m N-S) surviving complete, except most of the N wall (Wth 0.65m) and parts of the upper level of the S wall. There are three wide doorways on the ground floor in the S wall, the centre one of which led to a return that was a later addition, but is now removed. There are four wide windows on the ground floor in the S wall that had wooden lintels, but there is no brick anywhere in the structure. There is no evidence of a stairs or of fireplaces, although there is a false chimney stack on the E gable. A coach house with accommodation overhead partly survives N of the house. It is probably early 18th century in date, and is thought locally to have been replaced by Keoghville Hse., which has a datestone of 1789, c. 220m to the NW.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of revised upload: 5 December…
Water mill – horizontal-wheeled
On a low-lying landscape in the valley of the upper Cross river, c. 150m SW of rath (RO048-007001-). Two oak timbers were recovered in ploughing. One (L 3.1m; Wth 0.18m; T 07m) has a mortice (dims 0.1m x 0.07m) at…
On a low-lying landscape in the valley of the upper Cross river, c. 150m SW of rath (RO048-007001-). Two oak timbers were recovered in ploughing. One (L 3.1m; Wth 0.18m; T 07m) has a mortice (dims 0.1m x 0.07m) at either end while the other (L 1.3m; Wth 0.17m; T 0.02m-0.07m) is featureless. They were found c. 50m S of the burnt mound (RO048-181001-), although the precise location is not known. They may have been from a water mill, and what may have been a small millstone was held locally but is now lost.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Cairn – burial cairn
On a gentle E-facing slope in an undulating landscape. A cairn (diam. 10m; H 0.9m) which was disturbed in land reclamation during the 1950s revealed a long cist (RO051-010001-) (dims 1.65m N-S; 0.55m E-W; D 0.5m)…
On a gentle E-facing slope in an undulating landscape. A cairn (diam. 10m; H 0.9m) which was disturbed in land reclamation during the 1950s revealed a long cist (RO051-010001-) (dims 1.65m N-S; 0.55m E-W; D 0.5m) defined by stone slabs with a slab floor. Fragments of a cremation and of a bowl Food Vessel were recovered in excavation by J. Raftery (Raftery1960-1; Waddell 1990, 130-1; Ó Ríordáin and Waddell 1993, 129). The cist and grass-covered cairn (dims 12m NW-SE; 11m NE-SW; max. H 0.7m) are still visible.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Water mill – unclassified
A water mill at Clonkill which had been leased by Edmond O'Fallon from St. John's abbey, Athlone, and developed by him, was granted to an Edward Fitzgerald in 1597. In 1703 the corn and tuck mill of Laurence Kelly was…
A water mill at Clonkill which had been leased by Edmond O'Fallon from St. John's abbey, Athlone, and developed by him, was granted to an Edward Fitzgerald in 1597. In 1703 the corn and tuck mill of Laurence Kelly was purchased by Henry St George of Athlone (Egan 1954-6, 22). In the mid 18th century the mill was owned by Richard Dillon, but by 1760 it had come into the possession of Roger Kelly of Roscommon. Between 1814 and 1837 Edward Burne was in occupation and probably developed the mill into a six-bay three-story structure known as Burnbrook Mill as marked on the 1837 and 1915 eds of the OS 6-inch map. This structure does not survive. The site of the original mill, if it was at this location, cannot be identified. Archaeological testing (04E0881) c. 80m SW of the 19th century mill, and partly on the site of its mill-pond, failed to produce any related material (O'Carroll 2007a), and further work on the location of the mill and to the E (08E0747) failed to recover evidence of an early structure (Byrne 2008c, 2011a). (Egan 2004, 75-88)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 20th June 2011
Religious house – Carmelite friars
Secure references date only from the late 16th century, although it is listed as Belathnaony in the Register of Clonmacnoise (O’Donovan 1856-7, 456). It is described as Carmelite or Fransciscan, but it was probably a…
Secure references date only from the late 16th century, although it is listed as Belathnaony in the Register of Clonmacnoise (O’Donovan 1856-7, 456). It is described as Carmelite or Fransciscan, but it was probably a Carmelite dependency of Slew or Slewseancough (Eglish), Co. Galway (GA061-080001-), although the identity of this house might be ascribed to a church site at Monasternalea (GA033-050001-) (Beggan 2016). A large territory between Oonagh, Dundonnell, Tullaghan (Turloughmore) and Knock is indicated as church land on the Strafford map of c. 1636 (Simington 1949, Athlone). As the property of a suppressed monastery it was leased to Edmund O'Fallon in 1567 and the lease required him to construct a masonry corn mill. An inquisition of 1603 describes the precinct as a church and other buildings with a cemetery, an orchard and 15 acres (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 287). William Mc Edmond had 68 acres at Bellaneany, a subset of Oonagh, in 1641, but Sir Thomas Newcommen is the recorded owner of the O’Fallon acres in the 1660s (Simington 1949, 105).
Situated on a gentle S-facing slope. The remains consist of the foundations of a church (int. dims 15.9m E-W; 6m N-S) which had a wall (Wth 2.85m; max. surviving H 2.5m) containing a passage and the base of a spiral stairs, inserted 4.2m from its W end. A pointed doorway (Wth 1.35m), now destroyed, led through the inserted wall. Attached to the church at N and E are grass-covered paddocks (RO051-025002-) (dims c. 20m x c. 20m) de…
Castle – ringwork
Situated at the S end of a low NNW-SSE ridge in a low-lying landscape. This is a subcircular grass-covered area (dims 48m NW-SE; 41m NE-SW) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 6-7.7m; int. H 0.6-0.8m; ext. H 3.2-3.8m) with…
Situated at the S end of a low NNW-SSE ridge in a low-lying landscape. This is a subcircular grass-covered area (dims 48m NW-SE; 41m NE-SW) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 6-7.7m; int. H 0.6-0.8m; ext. H 3.2-3.8m) with traces of external facing-stones separated by a rounded fosse (Wth of top 9.8-11m; Wth of base 2-3m; D 1.8-2m) from an outer overgrown bank (Wth of base 6-6.2m; Wth of top 1m; H 0.8m) which is incorporated into a road bank NE-SE. The entrance (Wth 3.3m) and causeway (Wth 3m) are at NNE (max. ext. diam. 73m NW-SE). The late 16th or early 17th century house (RO051-047001-) is in the interior. It has been interpreted as a possible ringwork castle (Graham 1988, 28-9; Sweetman 1999, 197), and has been identified as the castle of Onagh that was built in 1236 and destroyed by Áedh O'Conor in 1270 (Curley 2011, 40-1; 2016). It has also been interpreted as a rath that was re-fortified when the house (RO051-047001-) was built (O'Conor 2007, 191-2).
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of revised upload: 8 January 2015
Settlement cluster
Visible on aerial photographs (CUCAP: BDK 39-42) from the 1970s, but not marked on any maps unless it is the collection of structures at the S end of what is depicted as church land between Dundonnel and Knock to the W…
Visible on aerial photographs (CUCAP: BDK 39-42) from the 1970s, but not marked on any maps unless it is the collection of structures at the S end of what is depicted as church land between Dundonnel and Knock to the W and Tullaghan (Turloughmore ?) and Beagh (Taghmaconnel?) to the E on the Strafford map of c. 1636. Shraduffe was described as part of Teagh macConnell, and 114 acres there were owned by the Bishop of Clonfert in 1641 and the 1660s (Simington 1949, 103, Athlone).
The settlement is situated in a fairly level landscape. A N-S strip (dims c. 180m N-S; c. 35-45m E-W) contained the foundations of c. 10 stone-built houses on either side of a street with a lime-kiln at the centre. It covered an area of about 2 acres (c. 0.75 ha), but it is not visible now at ground level in pasture.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of revised upload: 17 November, 2015
Cross-inscribed stone
There was a fragment of a cross-inscribed pillow-stone (dims 0.41m x 0.32m; T 0.1m) that has an inscribed cross with expanded terminals in the graveyard (RO051-053002-) of Taghmaconnell parish church (RO051-053001-),…
There was a fragment of a cross-inscribed pillow-stone (dims 0.41m x 0.32m; T 0.1m) that has an inscribed cross with expanded terminals in the graveyard (RO051-053002-) of Taghmaconnell parish church (RO051-053001-), but it is now missing (SMR file).
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 3 November, 20124
Religious house – Augustinian, of Arrouaise nuns
This is an early ecclesiastical site, and a community of nuns at St Mary's. Cloonoghil, may have been affiliated with Clonmacnoise from its foundation but had been transferred to Kilcreevanty (GA029-096001-) by 1223 and…
This is an early ecclesiastical site, and a community of nuns at St Mary's. Cloonoghil, may have been affiliated with Clonmacnoise from its foundation but had been transferred to Kilcreevanty (GA029-096001-) by 1223 and was impropriate to it at the Suppression (Moore 1969, Hall 2003, 78, 2009). It is listed as Clonagaley in the ecclesiastical taxation of Elphin in 1306 (Cal. doc. Ire. vol. 5, 223). As a suppressed monastery its property was granted to the Earl of Clanrickard in 1570, and to the Bishop of Tuam in 1618, but the church was described as ruinous in 1641 when the bishop is recorded as owning 767 acres at Cloonlawhill, which he retained into the 1660s (Simington 1949, 103). (Moore 1969)
The church is situated on a broad hill in a low-lying landscape and consists of a rectangular scrub-covered structure (int. dims 10m WNW-ESE; 5.45m NNE-SSW) of which only the N and S walls survive. The doorway, now reduced to single jamb-stones, is towards the W end of the S wall and a single light window with dressed ingoings towards the E end of the S wall is obscured by ivy. A limestone grave-slab (RO051-061010-) (L 1.95m) with a cross in low relief is almost buried within the church. The burial ground (RO051-061002-) is a rectangular platform (dims 35.7m NNE-SSW; 23.8m WNW-ESE; H 0.5-1.4m) NE of the church with uninscribed grave-markers, and is locally known as a children’s burial ground (RO051-061003-) (Gannon 1972), possibly because it is described as 'Caltragh' on the 1837…
Crucifixion plaque
On low-lying ground c. 20m from the N side of a SE-NW stream. St Rónán's Well (RO051-072001-) has a limestone crucifixion plaque (dims 1.13m x 0.9m), probably 18th century in date, set into the inner face of the wall of…
On low-lying ground c. 20m from the N side of a SE-NW stream. St Rónán's Well (RO051-072001-) has a limestone crucifixion plaque (dims 1.13m x 0.9m), probably 18th century in date, set into the inner face of the wall of its enclosure at NW. Apart from a large crucified figure it has a ladder, the cock in the pot, the hammer and a flail. (Crawford 1919a, 115)
See the attached image.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Concentric enclosure
On a rock outcrop knoll overlooking a basin c. 200m to the W. Subcircular grass-covered area (int. dims 33m E-W; 28m N-S) defined by a grass-covered stone spread (Wth 5-7m; H 0.2-0.8m) with facing-stones intermittently…
On a rock outcrop knoll overlooking a basin c. 200m to the W. Subcircular grass-covered area (int. dims 33m E-W; 28m N-S) defined by a grass-covered stone spread (Wth 5-7m; H 0.2-0.8m) with facing-stones intermittently visible (at S: original Wth 2.2m). There is no identifiable original entrance, but the perimeter is overlain by a drystone wall and the monument is bisected by a NNE-SSW field wall, while other drystone field walls are attached to the perimeter at NW, NE, SE and SW. The cashel is within an outer enclosure (dims c. 100m N-S; c. 100m E-W) defined by a grass-covered stone spread (max. Wth 3m; max. H 0.8m) which is frequently reduced to low scarps and survives only SW-W-NE.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Road – gravel/stone trackway – peatland
In poor pasture running into raised bog on the floodplain of the River Suck which is c. 500m to 2km to the W. At the NE end a raised track of earth and stone (Wth 3m; H 0.2-0.5m) with some larger stones on the edges is…
In poor pasture running into raised bog on the floodplain of the River Suck which is c. 500m to 2km to the W. At the NE end a raised track of earth and stone (Wth 3m; H 0.2-0.5m) with some larger stones on the edges is aligned NE-SW (L c. 160m) and is known locally as the nuns' path. It extends SW into a raised bog where it can be seen as a gravel layer (Wth 1.5m; T 0.3m) in the sections of drains, 0.5m below the surface. It can be traced for a further 200m, but a vegetation change of denser heather growth mixed with rushes could extend it c. 1km to where a horizontal beam (L 0.9m; T 0.1m) overlying a gravel layer (T 0.3m) 0.5m from the top of a drain can be seen.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Industrial chimney
On a gentle S-facing slope, c. 5m S of a what was a W-E lane from Cartron castle (RO052-002—-), c. 600m to the W, to Athlone. This is a masonry chimney (dims of base 2.95m NE-SW; 2.45m NW-SE; H c. 10m) with a…
On a gentle S-facing slope, c. 5m S of a what was a W-E lane from Cartron castle (RO052-002—-), c. 600m to the W, to Athlone. This is a masonry chimney (dims of base 2.95m NE-SW; 2.45m NW-SE; H c. 10m) with a fireplace (Wth 1.5m; H 1.5m; D 0.95m) at ground level on the SE side. The masonry chimney is recessed in three stages as it rises, with an added brick stage at the top. Locally it is thought to have been from a malthouse associated with Cartron castle.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Post row – peatland
The site (L 1.5m; Wth 1.45m; D 0.55m) is orientated N-S and consists of a haphazard arrangement of brushwood and roundwoods (diam. 0.03-0.065m), some of which are laid horizontally but which largely consist of vertical…
The site (L 1.5m; Wth 1.45m; D 0.55m) is orientated N-S and consists of a haphazard arrangement of brushwood and roundwoods (diam. 0.03-0.065m), some of which are laid horizontally but which largely consist of vertical posts and stakes inserted at angles of 75°-85°. The posts (L 0.55m max.) are roughly paired with driven points converging. Hazel and birch are present. Several chisel points were noted.
Compiled by: Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit, UCD.
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Ringfort – rath
Visible as a feature on aerial photographs (GSIAP: M 221-2), and situated in a broad, flat-bottomed NW-SE valley. Circular grass-covered area (diam. 26.6m N-S; 24.7m E-W) defined by an overgrown earthen bank (Wth…
Visible as a feature on aerial photographs (GSIAP: M 221-2), and situated in a broad, flat-bottomed NW-SE valley. Circular grass-covered area (diam. 26.6m N-S; 24.7m E-W) defined by an overgrown earthen bank (Wth 3.8-4.9m; int. H 0.3-1.2m; ext. H 1.1-1.5m) and an outer fosse (Wth of top 3.4-5m; Wth of base 0.8-1.7m; D 0.2-0.3m) NW-E-SW, but a N-S drain has destroyed the perimeter elsewhere. There are entrances at NNE (Wth 1.6m) and S (Wth 1.8m). Earthwork (RO042-104—-) is c. 115m to the SSE, and the castle (RO042-102001-) is c. 105m to the NW.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 24 August 2010
Listed buildings
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) is a state survey appraising buildings of architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social, or technical interest. Each surveyed structure receives a rating from International (the highest, for buildings of European importance) through National, Regional, Local, and Record-Only.
The NIAH records only 10 listed buildings in Athlone South, the 2nd percentile across ROI baronies — a relatively thin architectural record. All recorded buildings carry Regional or lower grading; the barony does not contain any structures appraised as being of National or International architectural importance. Construction dates concentrate most heavily in the Victorian (1830-1900) period.
Terrain and environment
Mean elevation across the barony is 38m — the 10th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for elevation. This means it is in the bottom fifth of all baronies for elevation. This is a relatively low-lying landscape by ROI standards. Elevation matters for heritage because higher-altitude baronies typically favour defensive monuments — ringforts and hilltop forts placed on prominent ground — while lowland baronies are more likely to carry the dense settlement and church networks of intensive agricultural landscapes. Mean slope is 2.3° — the 19th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for slope. This means it is in the bottom fifth of all baronies for slope. This is broadly flat terrain, the kind of landscape best suited to intensive agriculture. Slope is a key control on both land use and archaeological preservation: steep ground resists ploughing and tends to preserve earthworks intact, while gentle slopes favour intensive cultivation that damages or destroys surface archaeology over time. The Topographic Wetness Index averages 11.6, the 80th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for wetness. This means it is in the top fifth of all baronies for wetness. This is wet, slow-draining ground by ROI standards — the kind of landscape that may carry waterlogged archaeological sites of unusual preservation value. Drainage matters for heritage because poorly-drained ground preserves organic archaeology (wooden trackways, leather, textiles, and on rare occasions human remains) far better than free-draining soil; well-drained ground favours arable use but destroys organic material rapidly. Urban land covers 26% of the barony (the 98th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for urban cover. This means it is in the top tenth of all baronies for urban cover). Heavy urban coverage compresses heritage analysis: many archaeological features have been buried or destroyed by development, but the surviving record is concentrated in protected city-centre cores, and the NIAH listed-buildings count is typically high. The land-cover mosaic combines improved grassland (46%), urban land (26%), and woodland (20%), giving a mixed agricultural and semi-natural landscape. In overall character, this is low-lying, gently-sloping terrain — characteristic of Ireland's central plain and coastal lowlands, with land use dominated by improved grassland.
Terrain measurements
Where this barony sits in the Republic of Ireland
Geology and preservation
Bedrock geology shapes the landscape long before any settlement begins — controlling soil drainage, agricultural potential, the survival of upstanding monuments, and the preservation of buried archaeology. The figures below come from the Geological Survey Ireland 1:100,000 bedrock map.
The bedrock underlying Athlone South is predominantly limestones (76% of the barony by area), laid down during the Carboniferous period (100% by area, around 359 to 299 million years ago). Limestone is the most heritage-rich bedrock in Ireland. It supports fertile, well-drained soils that favoured dense Early Medieval settlement and Norman manorial agriculture, and it weathers into karst features — sinkholes, caves, swallow holes, and souterrains — that frequently carry archaeology. Where peat overlies limestone, organic preservation can be exceptional. A substantial secondary geology of limestone (23%) adds further variety to the underlying landscape. The single largest mapped unit is the Visean Limestones (undifferentiated) (76% of the barony's bedrock).
Rock type composition
Largest mapped unit: Visean Limestones (undifferentiated) (76% of the barony)
Placename evidence
Logainm records 25 heritage-diagnostic placenames for Athlone South, drawn from townland and civil-parish names across the barony. The dominant stratum is Early Christian ecclesiastical — cill-, teampall-, and domhnach-prefixed names that record the dense network of early church foundations established between the fifth and tenth centuries. The leading diagnostic roots are cill- (11 — church), lios- (6 — ringfort or enclosure), and carn- (3 — cairn). This is broadly in line with the ROI average of 30.7 heritage placenames per barony. The presence of multiple heritage strata side by side indicates layered occupation of the landscape across successive prehistoric and historic periods. Logainm records 213 placenames for Athlone South (predominantly townland names). Of these, 25 (12%) carry one of the diagnostic Gaelic roots tracked above; the remainder draw on more generic landscape vocabulary that does not encode a heritage period.
Pre-Christian / Early Medieval Defensive
| Root | Count | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lios- | 6 | ringfort or enclosure |
| dún- | 1 | hilltop or promontory fort |
Early Christian Ecclesiastical
| Root | Count | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cill- | 11 | church (early) |
| díseart- | 1 | hermitage |
| tobar- | 1 | holy well |
| gráinseach- | 1 | monastic farm / grange |
Burial, Ritual, and Norse-Contact
| Root | Count | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| carn- | 3 | cairn |
| sián- | 1 | fairy mound |
Other baronies in Roscommon
- Costello
- Ballintober North
- Frenchpark
- Moycarn
- Ballintober South
- Boyle
- Ballymoe
- Killian — Galway
- Tireragh — Sligo
- Kiltartan — Galway
See all 280 baronies in the Republic of Ireland Heritage Tool.
Explore further
Grounding History: 10 Maps of Northern Ireland’s Past
If you’re interested in Irish heritage more widely, the companion report for Northern Ireland brings together the analysis of all 462 NI wards into one place through 10 high-quality maps — covering monument density, archaeological periods, placename heritage, terrain, wetland, and the historic landscape at first survey. Take a look.
About this profile
Click any section below to expand.
What is a barony?
A barony is a historic administrative unit in Ireland, broadly equivalent to an English hundred. The 280 baronies used here are from the OSi 2019 National Statutory Boundaries (generalised 20m), covering the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland. Baronies derive from the Norman period, were formalised in the 17th century, and have not been redrawn for statistical purposes. They vary enormously in area, from compact urban baronies in Dublin to vast upland baronies in Connacht, and should not be compared by raw site count without accounting for area differences.
What counts as a site?
This profile combines three distinct heritage registers, each with its own definition of what constitutes a recordable site:
- Archaeological sites (NMS). The National Monuments Service Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) catalogues every known archaeological monument or site of archaeological interest in the Republic, from prehistoric burial mounds and ringforts to medieval churches and post-medieval defensive works. Inclusion does not require legal protection — only that the site has been identified, surveyed, and assessed as having archaeological value. A separate subset of these sites lies within a recorded protection zone, which gives them statutory protection under the National Monuments Acts.
- Listed buildings (NIAH). The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records buildings of architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social, or technical interest. Each surveyed structure is appraised on a five-tier scale: International, National, Regional, Local, and Record-Only. The NIAH appraisal is informational rather than strictly statutory, but it underpins local-authority Record of Protected Structures (RPS) listings.
- Heritage placenames (Logainm). Logainm is the authoritative database of Irish placenames maintained by the Placenames Branch. This profile applies a heritage-diagnostic classifier to the Irish-language form of each townland name, flagging roots that signal defensive sites (ráth-, lios-, dún-, caiseal-, cathair-), ecclesiastical foundations (cill-, teampall-, domhnach-, mainistir-), prehistoric burial-ritual features (tuaim-, carn-, leaba-), or Norse-contact settlement (gall-). Townlands without one of these diagnostic roots are not flagged here — they may still carry historical significance, but that significance is not encoded in the name itself.
Editorial principles
The narrative sections of this profile follow several explicit principles:
- Evidential. Every claim about this barony’s heritage character is anchored in the underlying register data. Where a site count, a placename count, or a percentile rank is cited, it is computed from the source datasets at export time, not estimated.
- Comparative. Counts and metrics are reported alongside their percentile rank against the other 279 ROI baronies. A barony with 50 ringforts in absolute terms could be unusually high or unusually low depending on its size and regional context; percentile ranking removes that ambiguity.
- Transparent on limits. Where a register has known coverage gaps, survey biases, or data-quality issues that affect this barony’s figures, the profile flags them rather than presenting the numbers as definitive.
- No interpretation beyond what the data supports. The narrative does not speculate about historical events, social dynamics, or cultural meaning beyond what the recorded heritage and placename evidence directly attests.
Data caveats and limits
- NMS Sites and Monuments Record is the product of survey campaigns conducted at different intensities across different counties and decades. Some baronies have been surveyed more thoroughly than others, and absolute counts should be read in that light. Sites destroyed by development before survey are typically not represented; sites in heavily forested or upland terrain are sometimes under-recorded.
- NIAH coverage is broadly complete for the Republic of Ireland but the survey was conducted on a rolling county-by-county basis, and the most recent appraisal date varies. Buildings demolished or substantially altered after their original survey may still appear in the register; conversely, recent buildings of merit may not yet have been appraised.
- Logainm classification applies a deliberately conservative pattern-matching approach to the Irish-language townland forms. The classifier prioritises true positives over recall: a townland may carry a heritage signal that the classifier doesn’t recognise, particularly where the diagnostic root has been heavily anglicised or where the townland name draws on a less common term. The 60,000+ townland records and ~9,800 classified placenames give a substantial signal at barony scale, but individual townland names should be checked against Logainm directly for definitive interpretation.
- Period attribution. The chronological distribution reflects only those NMS sites that carry a recognised period attribution in the source data. Sites listed as “Unknown” period are excluded from the dated subset.
- Boundary changes. Some baronies have undergone minor boundary adjustments since their 19th-century definition; the OSi 2019 generalised boundaries used here are the current statutory definition and may differ slightly from historical maps in border areas.
- Bedrock geology is mapped at 1:100,000 scale, which means local variation within a barony — small pockets of different rock type, mineral veins, alluvium overlying bedrock — is generalised. The dominant-system and rocktype figures are area-weighted, so a barony reading “70% Carboniferous limestone” may still contain small but archaeologically important pockets of older or younger rock. Around 3% of GSI polygons do not match the lexicon and contribute no rocktype or system attribution.
Data sources
- National Monuments Service — Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) https://data.gov.ie/dataset/national-monuments-service-archaeological-survey-of-ireland
- National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) https://data.gov.ie/dataset/national-inventory-of-architectural-heritage-niah-national-dataset
- Logainm — Placenames Database of Ireland https://www.logainm.ie/
- Ordnance Survey Ireland — National Statutory Barony Boundaries 2019 https://data-osi.opendata.arcgis.com/
- EURODEM — European Digital Elevation Model https://www.mapsforeurope.org/datasets/euro-dem
- ESA WorldCover https://esa-worldcover.org/en
- Geological Survey Ireland — 1:100,000 Bedrock Geology https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/data-and-maps/Pages/Bedrock.aspx
Explore more: Search any of the 280 ROI baronies, browse by historical province, or read the methodology and data sources for the full Republic of Ireland Heritage Tool.