Ibrickan Heritage Profile - Daniel Kirkpatrick

By Daniel Kirkpatrick | Compiled 2026-05-13 | Logainm 24

320 NMS sites 302 within protection zone 24 listed buildings 8 of 9 archaeological periods

Ibrickan is a barony of County Clare, in the historical province of Munster (Irish: Uí Bhreacáin), covering 232 km² of land. The barony records 320 NMS archaeological sites and 24 NIAH listed buildings, placing it at around the 27th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for sites per km². This means it is in the bottom third of all baronies for sites per km². Dated archaeological evidence runs from the Mesolithic through to the Post Medieval, spanning 8 of 9 archaeological periods, placing the barony in the 48th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for chronological depth. This means it is in the lower half of all baronies for chronological depth. The largest dated subset of recorded sites dates to the Early Medieval. Logainm flags 26 placenames in the barony as carrying a recognised heritage root; the largest share — around 54% — are names associated with pre-christian defensive.

Ibrickan boundary detail

Ibrickan in regional context

Heritage at a glance

Percentile rankings throughout this profile compare each barony only against the other 279 Republic of Ireland baronies.

320

Recorded NMS sites

27th percentile

302

Within protection zone

94.4% of recorded sites

NIAH listed buildings

9th percentile

232 km²

Barony area

The recorded heritage of Ibrickan

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 320 archaeological sites in Ibrickan, putting it at the 27th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for sites per km². This means it is in the bottom third of all baronies for sites per km². Protection coverage is near-universal — 302 sites (94%) fall within a recorded monument protection zone, indicating an extensively surveyed landscape. The dominant category is defensive sites — ringforts, enclosures, hillforts, and stone forts (184 sites, 58% of the record). Ringfort – rath is the most prevalent type, making up 43% of the barony's recorded sites (137 records) — well above 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 Ritual site – holy well (16) and Enclosure (15). Ritual site – holy well is a well or spring traditionally associated with a saint, often credited with healing properties; many trace earlier ritual origins but devotion is documented from the medieval period onwards; 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 232 km², this gives a recorded density of 1.38 sites per km².

Most common monument types

Hover or tap a monument type to see its definition.

Type	Count
Ringfort – rath	137
Ritual site – holy well	16
Enclosure	15
Hut site	15
Earthwork	14
Barrow – ring-barrow	10
Standing stone	9

Chronological distribution

The dated archaeological record for Ibrickan spans from the Mesolithic through to the Post Medieval, with activity attested across 8 of 9 archaeological periods. 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 Early Medieval (142 sites, 59% of dated material), with the Iron Age forming a secondary peak (57 sites, 24%). A further 78 recorded sites (24% 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.

Mesolithic

Neolithic

Early Bronze Age

Middle Late Bronze Age

Iron Age

Early Medieval

142

Medieval

Post Medieval

Modern

Unknown

Sample of recorded monuments

Show 25 sample monuments (of 320 total)

A representative sample of 25 recorded monuments drawn from the barony’s 320 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.

Barrow – embanked barrow

SMR CL022-006—-FreaghcastleProtected

The Archaeological Survey of Ireland (ASI) is in the process of providing information on all monuments on The Historic Environment Viewer (HEV). Currently the information for this record has not been uploaded. To…

Bawn

SMR CL023-027001-Moy Begpost_medievalProtected

Cairn – unclassified

SMR CL030-002001-Freaghcastlebronze_ageProtected

House – 18th/19th century

SMR CL030-005—-Fintra MoreProtected

On a rise in cleared fertile meadow. Carrickpatrick House was described by Weir (1986, 60) as an 18th-century (‘or earlier’) house, a single storey L-shaped house with six bays and a thatched hipped roof, facing S with…

Megalithic tomb – unclassified

SMR CL031-005—-IllaunneolithicProtected

See linked document with details from Ruaidhrí de Valera and Seán Ó Nualláin, Survey of the Megalithic Tombs of Ireland. Volume I. County Clare. (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1961)

Date of upload: 30 December 2011

Cross

SMR CL038-003003-Mutton IslandProtected

Enclosure – large enclosure

SMR CL038-005—-SeafieldProtected

At the N edge of a terrace overlooking the sea c. 1km to N. Listed as 'enclosure' in the SMR (1992) and the RMP (1996). A circular grass-covered area (int. diam. 76m E-W; 70m N-S) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 2.6-4m;…

Moated site

SMR CL038-016—-Finnor MoremedievalProtected

On a slight rise in a low-lying landscape. Listed as 'rectangular enclosure' in the SMR (1992) and the RMP (1996). A rectangular grass-covered area (dims. 50m E-W; 40m N-S) defined by an earthen bank (5.3m; int. H 0.1m;…

Ecclesiastical enclosure

SMR CL038-036003-Finnor Moreearly_christianProtected

Situated on top of a hillock. A burial ground (CL038-036001-) and holy well (CL038-036002-) are within an enclosure (diam. 82m NNW-SE) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 6.3-8m; int. H 0.2m; ext. H 0.6-0.9m) SE-S, and a…

Concentric enclosure

SMR CL023-061—-Clooneyogan SouthProtected

Barrow – ditch barrow

SMR CL031-042—-KilcorcoranProtected

Well

SMR CL023-027003-Moy BegProtected

Shrine

SMR CL031-016003-KilcorcoranProtected

Stone sculpture

SMR CL038-010004-ShandrumProtected

Kiln – corn-drying

SMR CL038-069—-Finnor MoreProtected

Excavation – miscellaneous

SMR CL038-070—-Finnor MoreProtected

Cliff-edge fort

SMR CL030-041—-CaherrushProtected

Ringfort – unclassified

SMR CL031-014—-Kilcorcoranearly_medievalProtected

Fulacht fia

SMR CL031-037—-Cloghaun Morebronze_ageProtected

Penitential station

SMR CL039-036001-DoonoganProtected

Inscribed stone

SMR CL039-037—-Creevagh (Ibrickan By.)Protected

Situated at the bottom of a knoll on the N shore of Doo Lough. Incised motifs were noted on the most southerly of three black boulders (c. 0.5m x 0.4m; H 0.5m). One motif is an incised rectangle (H 0.12m; Wth 0.14m) on…

Signal tower

SMR CL046-005—-Ballard (Ibrickan By.)Protected

Situated on a flat terrace adjacent to steep vertical cliffs (c. 77m OD) at the edge of Ballard Bay. Located on ground that slopes down gently away to the S with commanding views between the NE and S. The surrounding…

Ringfort – unclassified

SMR CL047-002—-Caherfeenick North,Carrowmore (Ibrickan By.)early_medievalProtected

Penitential station

SMR CL056-016—-TullaherProtected

Ringfort – rath

SMR CL022-007—-Drummin (Ballyvaskin Ed)early_medievalProtected

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 24 listed buildings in Ibrickan, the 9th 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. The most-recorded building type is church/chapel (7 examples, 29% of the listed stock).

Terrain and environment

Mean elevation across the barony is 63m — the 24th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for elevation. This means it is in the bottom third 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. The barony reaches 374m at its highest point — a vertical span of more than 310m within its boundary, indicating significant topographic diversity. Mean slope is 3.2° — the 40th percentile among 280 ROI baronies for slope. This means it is in the lower half of all baronies for slope. 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 11.1, the 61st percentile among 280 ROI baronies for wetness. This means it is in the upper half of all baronies for wetness. 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. The land cover is dominated by improved grassland (85%) and woodland (12%).

Terrain measurements

Mean elevation63.4 m

Max elevation374.2 m

Mean slope3.2°

Wetness index (TWI)11.10 61st pct

Grassland85.2%

Woodland12.3% 31st pct

Where this barony sits in the Republic of Ireland

Drainage

61st

Woodland

31st

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 Ibrickan is predominantly mudstone, siltstone, sandstone (69% of the barony by area), laid down during the Carboniferous period (100% by area, around 359 to 299 million years ago). A substantial secondary geology of siltstone (30%) adds further variety to the underlying landscape. The single largest mapped unit is the Central Clare Group (69% of the barony's bedrock). With only 2 distinct rock types mapped, the barony is geologically uniform compared to the rest of the Republic (6th percentile for diversity) — a single coherent bedrock landscape.

Dominant geological periodCarboniferous (100%)

Dominant rock typeMudstone, Siltstone, Sandstone (69%)

Mapped formations3

Distinct rock types2 6th pct for diversity

Rock type composition

Mudstone, Siltstone, Sandstone

69%

Siltstone

30%

Largest mapped unit: Central Clare Group (69% of the barony)

Placename evidence

Logainm records 26 heritage-diagnostic placenames for Ibrickan, drawn from townland and civil-parish names across the barony. The dominant stratum is pre-Christian and Early Medieval defensive — ráth-, lios-, dún-, and caiseal-prefixed names that mark Iron Age and early historic settlement. The leading diagnostic roots are cill- (10 — church), dún- (5 — hilltop fort or promontory fort), and ráth- (3 — earthen ringfort). 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 123 placenames for Ibrickan (predominantly townland names). Of these, 26 (21%) 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
dún-	5	hilltop or promontory fort
ráth-	3	earthen ringfort
lios-	3	ringfort or enclosure
cathair-	2	stone fort
caiseal-	1	stone ringfort

Early Christian Ecclesiastical

Root	Count	Meaning
cill-	10	church (early)

Burial, Ritual, and Norse-Contact

Root	Count	Meaning
carn-	1	cairn
dumha-	1	mound

Other baronies in Clare

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)
Contributes archaeological site records, classifications, periods, and recorded protection-zone status.

© Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage · Licence: Open data, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/national-monuments-service-archaeological-survey-of-ireland
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH)
Contributes listed-building records and architectural-significance grades.

© Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage · Licence: Open data, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
https://data.gov.ie/dataset/national-inventory-of-architectural-heritage-niah-national-dataset
Logainm — Placenames Database of Ireland
Contributes Irish-language and English townland names, civil parish associations, and barony assignments for the heritage-placename classifier.

© Government of Ireland, Placenames Branch · Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Ireland (CC BY-ND 3.0 IE)
https://www.logainm.ie/
Ordnance Survey Ireland — National Statutory Barony Boundaries 2019
Contributes the canonical 280 barony boundaries (generalised 20m).

© Ordnance Survey Ireland / Government of Ireland · Licence: Open data, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
https://data-osi.opendata.arcgis.com/
EURODEM — European Digital Elevation Model
Contributes elevation, slope, and topographic-wetness statistics, plus the hillshade rendering on each barony’s topographic map.

© Maps for Europe · Licence: Open data
https://www.mapsforeurope.org/datasets/euro-dem
ESA WorldCover
Contributes land-cover classifications for grassland, woodland, cropland, wetland, urban, and water statistics.

© European Space Agency · Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
https://esa-worldcover.org/en
Geological Survey Ireland — 1:100,000 Bedrock Geology
Contributes bedrock geological data: dominant geological system (Carboniferous, Devonian, etc.), rock-type composition, and formation-level mapping, with the GSI Bedrock Lexicon providing descriptive attributes.

© Geological Survey Ireland · Licence: Open data, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
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.

Spotted an error? This dataset is updated continuously. Email contact@danielkirkpatrick.co.uk with corrections, missing records, or suggestions for improvement.