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The Ó hUiginn Family of Chaffpool: Learned Tradition and Landholding in Medieval Leyny.
Introduction The history of medieval Leyny in south County Sligo is usually dominated by the story of the O’Haras, the great Gaelic ruling dynasty who controlled the territory for centuries before the Cromwellian conquest. Yet beneath the authority of the O’Hara chiefs existed a wider network of hereditary families who played important political, ecclesiastical and… Continue reading
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The Court Tombs of Cloonaraher and Cloondrihara
Among the oldest monuments in the Achonry-Mullinabreena Introduction Beneath the slopes of Knocknashee, and little more than a mile apart, lie two of the oldest surviving monuments in the Achonry–Mullinabreena landscape. The court tombs at Cloonaraher and Cloondrihara date to the Early Neolithic period, probably between 3700 and 3500 BC, and were constructed by some… Continue reading
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The Achonry Boulder Burial and Prehistoric Barrow Landscape
Long before the medieval monastery and bishopric gave Achonry its later historical importance, the surrounding landscape already preserved evidence of prehistoric settlement, burial, and ritual activity. Across the low ridges and pastureland surrounding Achonry survives a notable concentration of ancient monuments dating to the later Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, including ring-barrows, burial mounds, enclosures,… Continue reading
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Carrowneden Wedge Tomb
The wedge tomb at Carrownedan was once one of the later prehistoric burial monuments of the Mullinabreena–Achonry landscape. Though no longer standing, it remains an important recorded site, both because of its archaeological character and because its destruction illustrates the vulnerability of ancient monuments in the modern farming landscape. Figure 1: Plan of the Carrownedan… Continue reading