1-Sze Long Lee – CO070-034
Carrigaphooca Castle is a five-story rectangular tower house on a rocky outcrop near the River Sullane. In terms of its landscape setting, it occupies a prominent position overlooking vast expanses of surrounding agricultural lowlands and the river. The castle’s design seems to prioritize creating a visual impact connected to a symbolic meaning of power and control over the landscape rather than solely focusing on defence purposes.
The castle’s entrance is oriented towards the north wall, although it should be noted that the building’s alignment is not precisely north but rather north-northwest. Apart from the entrance, two windows are on the second and third floors. The top floor and the bartizan (Two bartizans survived and are located at the northeast and southwest corners) on the north wall each has one window.
The east wall has the most windows of the four walls, indicating a design consideration for daylighting. Across the first to fourth floors, there are eight windows on the east wall, and the top floor has two windows. However, it should be noted that there is a window between two floors on the east wall, as this side also serves as a location for the staircase and does not represent a separate floor.
The south wall is the closest to the river Sullane. Five windows span the first to fourth floors, and two windows are on the top floor. Additionally, this wall features the only drainage outlet at its base.
The west wall has five windows across the first to fourth floors, and the top floor has one window.
According to information from the National Monument Service, the castle measures 10.7m in length along the east-west axis and 9.3m in width along the north-south axis. Actual measurements inside the building reveal that the ground-floor chamber is 6.5m in length along the east-west axis and 5.4m in width along the north-south axis. The top-floor chamber measures 7.4m in length along the east-west axis and 6.5m in width along the north-south axis.
The photo was taken from the castle’s east side at 10:32 AM on 2nd March 2024.
2-Sze Long Lee – CO069-017
Clapper Bridge is a bridge composed of slate and masonry piers, spanning the river Douglas in a south 45 degrees east or north 45 degrees west direction. Despite partially collapsing the structure into the river at the southeast end, the remaining sections can still support pedestrian passage. Five slate blocks forming a walkway above the river are visible to the naked eye. Due to moss and dense nearby vegetation, it is challenging to pinpoint the exact location on a map. The masonry piers constrict the river channel, resulting in noticeably turbulent waters on the northeast side of the bridge.
The provided photo was taken from the northeast side of the bridge, with a capture time of 12:45 PM on 2nd March 2024.
3-Sze Long Lee – CO058-033
This Fulacht fia is located east of the CO058-034 St. Gobnet complex, but currently, there is no connection between them in academic discussions other than their geographical proximity. According to existing definitions, a Fulacht fia uses heated stones to heat water in a trough. On-site observations reveal that only the stones placed in the secondary hearth (northwest end of the trough) can be identified due to the growth of vegetation and soil deposits. In the provided photo, several prominent stones can be seen to the right of the ranging pole, situated in the centre of the image. The trampled ground also indicates that the site is covered with a certain thickness of vegetation and soil, obscuring the monument. Based on on-site observations and comparing it to the ranging pole, the exposed stones are approximately one meter high from the ground surface.
The photo was taken from the east-facing side of the secondary hearth, with a capture time of 2:52 PM on 2nd March 2024.
4-Sze Long Lee – CO058-034007
The ruins of Ballyvourney parish church, also known as Teampell Ghobnatan, face east and are part of the CO058-034 St. Gobnet complex. The structure consists of a nave and a chancel at the eastern end.
The entrance is located on the south side of the nave, near the southwest end, measuring 1.5 meters wide and 1.9 meters high based on on-site measurements.
According to on-site measurements, the nave’s interior measures 18.1 meters in length along the east-west axis, approximately 7.4 meters to 7.5 meters in width along the north-south axis (measured at two different positions with the entrance as a reference point). The interior of the chancel measures 8.0 meters in length along the east-west axis and 4.9 meters in width along the north-south axis. The wall passage connecting the nave and chancel has a width of 3.1 meters.
Although the church roof is no longer present, the measurement suggests a height of 7.4 meters at the probable location of the roof support.
The photo was taken from the entrance near the southwest end of the nave, looking northeast towards the east side of the nave and chancel. The time of the photo is 3:18 PM on 2nd March 2024.
5-Sze Long Lee – CO058-034009
As part of the CO058-034 St. Gobnet complex, just like CO058-034007, this structure is located at the southeastern end of the complex but relatively distant from other buildings. It is covered by trees, making it difficult to identify on a map. The structure faces south and is constructed with stones. The stone structure consists of five horseshoe-shaped steps descending and extending inwards. It also opens up to the wall of the well, with an on-site measurement of approximately 1.1 meters in length along the north-south axis from the well’s opening.
The provided photo was taken from the southeast side of the holly well, with a capture time of 4:10 PM on 2nd March 2024.
ar2045@ucc 