Sminver

35 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Sminver, from 10 m² to 182,971 m² (18.3 ha, 45.21 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary. 22 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland as DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings, or as GeoJSON or KML.

No zone of a development plan covers Sminver in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 2 Nov 2023Conditional

  ERECTION OF A MACHINERY / PLANT STORAGE SHED

  Permission · Donegal County Council, 2351667

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Sminver.

Recorded monuments

• DG107-057 Ritual site - holy well
  Description

  No trace of this 'Tobershannon' now survives. It was situated in wet boggy land S of the Erne. Recorded in 1936 as 'Tobar a' Seanaigh at Sminver, parish of Inish mac Saint. No stations at present' (Ó Muirgheasa 1936, 144). In 2004 excavations were carried out by Fintan Wals on behalf of Irish Archaeological Consultancy. Excavation licence number 04E0017 Described in the NRA database as 'This site was in a low-lying area of boggy pasture bordered on north, west and east by gentle slopes and a steep hill at the south. This feature was recorded in the Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) as a holy well. The site is not marked on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch map of 1835 (Sheet 107) but is marked on the Ordnance Survey 6-inch revision of 1847-50 and the 1st edition 25" map of 1906 (Sheet CV11.10) as “Tobershannon”. These documents would appear to attach a secure 19th century date to the construction of the well (stonework) and nothing was found during excavation to challenge this. The well was located to the west of the burnt deposit (see 04E0017 Part 1). It comprised a number of large rough-hewn stones placed in a sub-circular D-shape around the mouth of a subterranean natural spring. These stones (c. 0.20 m by 0.30 m by 0.80 m) were uncoursed and unbonded. The area defined by the stones measured 0.90 m east-west by 0.70 m north-south. It is consolidated by a low mound of medium-large rounded cobbles, loosely bonded with sandy silty peat. This mound may have been constructed with the dual intention of both strengthening the stones around the mouth of the spring and providing a firm surface upon which visitors to the well could stand'. Excavation licence number 04E0017 There were two separate elements to Sminver 1. Sminver 1a was a burnt spread found by Brian O Donnchadha during linear testing (Excavations 2003, No. 385, 03E1012-) and Sminver 1b was a holy well (SMR 107:57). Both investigations were carried out in advance of the proposed N15 Bundoran- Ballyshannon bypass. A 425m excavation was undertaken in advance of groundworks. Sminver 1b was situated in wet boggy land south of the Erne. A previously unknown burnt spread was also discovered 12m east of the well. The holy well and its immediate environs are due to be preserved in situ. This was facilitated by a slight change in the road design in this area by the NRA and Donegal County Council to allow for the open preservation of the feature. The feature was exposed, cleaned back and recorded. The burnt spread was fully excavated. (Excavations Bulletin 2004) Fintan Walsh, Irish Archaeological Consultancy, 8 Dungar Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload / revision : 01 November 2011

• DG107-057001 Burnt mound
  Description

  Excavation licence number 04E0017. There were two separate elements to Sminver 1. Sminver 1a was a burnt spread found by Brian O Donnchadha during linear testing (Excavations 2003, No. 385, 03E1012-) and Sminver 1b was a holy well (SMR 107:57). Both investigations were carried out in advance of the proposed N15 Bundoran- Ballyshannon bypass. A 425m excavation was undertaken in advance of groundworks. Sminver 1b was situated in wet boggy land south of the Erne. A previously unknown burnt spread was also discovered 12m east of the well. The holy well and its immediate environs are due to be preserved in situ. This was facilitated by a slight change in the road design in this area by the NRA and Donegal County Council to allow for the open preservation of the feature. The feature was exposed, cleaned back and recorded. The burnt spread was fully excavated. (Excavations Bulletin 2004) Fintan Walsh, Irish Archaeological Consultancy, 8 Dungar Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. The following information was taken from the NRA archaeological database website. This site was situated in a low-lying area of boggy pasture bordered on north, west and east by gentle slopes and a steep hill at the south. This site consisted of a mound of burnt stone (4 m by 8.4 m by 0.1 m in depth) oriented north-west-south-east, roughly rectangular in shape. The deposit consisted of black charcoal-flecked sandy peat. The mound was cut on the western side by a modern field drain, but it appears that this truncation was only very slight since the burnt mound deposit did not extend beyond this cut. Charcoal from the burnt mound was identified as hazel (corylus avellana) and birch (betula sp.). Radiocarbon dating from charcoal (hazel) from burnt mound, 3630 +/- 60 BP, 2140 cal. BC - 1870 cal. BC (2 sigma).

• DG107-058 Church
  Description

  The ruins of this rubble-built church c. 19m × 9m internally are, for the most part, represented by the lower wall courses, c. 1m thick. No features are visible and the entire structure is obscured by vegetation and fallen masonry. The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008

• DG107-058001 Graveyard
  Description

  The ruins of this rubble-built church (DG107-058) c. 19m × 9m internally are, for the most part, represented by the lower wall courses, c. 1m thick. No features are visible and the entire structure is obscured by vegetation and fallen masonry. In 1936 it was recorded that 'Only unbaptised children now buried in the graveyard' (Ó Muirgheasa 1936, 144). The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload / revision: 01 November 2011

• DG107-118 Megalithic structure
  Description

  Excavation licence number A007/001. Monitoring of the proposed N15 Bundoran- Ballyshannon bypass (No. 384 above, 04E1162) revealed the presence of a possible megalith within the wayleave. It measured c. 1.5-2m high and roughly occupied an area of 4m2. The 'capstone' measured c. 0.75m by 1m and rested on three stones (orthostats), which protruded from the ground surface. As the immediate area is characterised by rock outcrops, it is possible that the stones on which the capstone rested were elements of rock outcropping. The arrangement of the stones defined a small 'chamber' within the possible megalith. This was located immediately central to the possible megalith under the 'capstone' and the limits were defined by the 'orthostats' on which the 'capstone' rested. This chamber looked relatively undisturbed and was partially filled on the surface by small rounded stones (c. 0.2-0.3m diameter). The possible chamber measured c. 0.4m in diameter. An area measuring 5m by 5m around the possible megalith was investigated. The 'capstone' was removed and the interior was excavated. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted within the chamber or in the vicinity of the stones within the excavation area. (Excavations Bulletin 2004) Fintan Walsh, Irish Archaeological Consultancy, 8 Dungar Terrace, Dœn Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Sminver.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

At the centre of the townland of Sminver, about 1 in 5 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as moderately high, moderately low, low, partly inferred.

Terrain model

No LiDAR survey of the Office of Public Works covers the centre of the townland of Sminver.

Flooding

The Office of Public Works publishes its flood maps on floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, and Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland, both under CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

No address of the register names Sminver with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Donegal.

Name

Sminver

Area

402,265 m² (40.23 ha, 99.4 acres)

Civil parish

Kilbarron, and its townlands

Barony

Tirhugh

Electoral division

Carrickboy, the unit of the census

Census 2022

389 people lived in 156 households in the Carrickboy electoral division. 86% of households owned their home. 21% of homes were built since 2001. 18% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 3% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Ballyhanna, Ballymunterhiggin, Ballynacarrick, Carrickboy, Legaloscran

Placenames

Sminver on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics by electoral division, Central Statistics Office, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address. Old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.