Murneen South

68 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Murneen South, from 262 m² to 97,342 m² (9.73 ha, 24.05 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary. 32 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 Murneen South 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.

• 11 Jun 2021Conditional

  CONSTRUCT A DWELLING HOUSE, GARAGE AND PROPRIETARY EFFLUENT TREATMENT SYSTEM

  Permission, 2 homes · Mayo County Council, 21618

• 12 Dec 2017Conditional

  CONSTRUCT A NEW FOREST ACCESS ROAD ENTRANCE

  Permission · Mayo County Council, 17983

• 12 Apr 2017Conditional

  CONSTRUCT A DOMESTIC GARAGE TOGETHER WITH ALL ANCILLARY SITE WORKS

  Permission · Mayo County Council, 17268

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 Murneen South.

Recorded monuments

• MA091-017001 Castle - unclassified
  Description

  Located on a rise in an area of rush-grown, damp pasture. There are good views NW−SE, restricted by rising ground to S−SW. Named ‘Murneen Castle’ on the 1838 and 1920 OS 6-inch maps. Little is known about its history. In 1585 ‘the castle of Mornyne’ along with Brees Castle (MA091-010001-) and large tracts of land in Clanmorris barony were in the possession of Richard MacMorys, who was chief of Clan Morris and descended from the Anglo-Norman Prendergasts. In December of that year, as part of the Composition of Mayo, he transferred his property to Francis Barkley, Marshall of Connacht, reserving for himself a life interest in the castle and lands at Murneen, where he died in 1607 (Blake 1913, 45). The castle is greatly ruined, but it is possible to trace the outline of a rectangular structure (c. 11.8m N−S; c. 18m E−W) of mortared limestone rubble, with an entrance in the centre of the S wall. Only the ground floor remains, but there was originally at least one upper storey. The W half of the building has collapsed, the walls reduced to low, grassed-over wall footings and the interior is filled with grass-covered rubble. The E half is still outlined by upstanding walls at S, E and N. The E half of the S wall (L 8m E-W; H 3.3m; T c. 2.2m) survives, retaining at it W end the reveal of an arched entrance, with two off-sets suggesting that it was double gated. The E wall is intact for its full length (L c. 11.8m N−S; T c. 2.4m) and survives to a height of 3m, however, the exterior masonry facing is missing on the upper part of the wall, exposing the rubble core. An opening in the exterior wall face at the S end of the E wall is a garderobe shute descending from the missing upper storey. At the N end of the E wall there is a short return (L 5.9m; H 1.6m) to W of the N wall, which has lost its exterior wall facing. An internal E−W wall subdivides the E half of the building into twin chambers, long axis E−W. The S chamber (int. 4.4m E−W; 3.23m N−S; H 2m) is largely intact, retaining its S and E walls, and most of its N wall and vaulted ceiling; the W wall is missing. A ragged hole (H 1.5m; W 1.2m) roughly in the centre of the E wall may be a broken out window. The N chamber must also have been vaulted, but although its E wall and a portion of the N wall are standing, the ceiling has collapsed and the internal area is now filled with grassed over heaps of fallen masonry. It was lit by an inwardly splayed window in the N wall, 2.5m W of the NE angle. The ground floor, therefore, appears to have been subdivided into a number of vaulted chambers, probably pierced by a central N−S passage opening from a double gated entrance in the S wall. The upper storey was furnished with a garderobe at the SE angle. The castle stands at the SE end of a rectangular enclosure or possible bailey (MA091-017004-) which utilises a natural linear rise. To W and S of this, are slight traces of earthworks (MA091-017002-) which were first recorded by Knox (1913-14, 200-202). Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 11 February 2022

• MA091-017002 Earthwork
  Description

  In an expanse of lowlying, rush-grown, damp pasture surrounding Murneen castle (MA0091-017001). A modern NNW−SSE road extends through the earthworks. In the early years of the 20th century, Knox (1913-14, 200-202) recorded extensive ‘earthworks’ to W, S and SW of the castle (MA001-017001-) and possible bailey (MA091-017004). They extended over an area of c. 250m N−S by c. 200m E−W, and consisted of linear ‘ramparts’/banks and ditches, which enclosed large rectilinear areas and a large raised triangular area. Knox interpreted the earthworks as fortifications and subsidiary enclosures associated with the castle. He noted that some of the banks had already been partly levelled and the ditches filled in. Since that time, further reclamation has taken place. When the area was inspected in 1998, low scarps and ditches could still be traced to W and N of the castle, and fragmentary remains were evident in the field to S, but full outline of the enclosures recorded by Knox could not be traced with any confidence. There was no trace of the earthworks in the present-day fields on the W side of the modern road. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 11 February 2022

• MA091-017003 Building
  Description

  This record refers to a building shown on a 1720 map (NLI Ms. 2707) in the vicinity of Murneen Castle (MA091-017001). The exact location and nature of this building is uncertain. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 11 February 2022

• MA091-017004 Bawn
  Description

  Immediately to N of Murneen castle (MA0091-017001), in an expanse of lowlying, rush-grown, damp pasture. This possible bawn is not shown on the 1838 OS 6-inch map; on the 1920 edition the SW angle and W side are outlined with hachuring. It consists of a rectangular area (c. 70m NNW−SSE; c. 40m ENE-WSW) encompassing a roughly N−S elevation rising from the surrounding damp ground. It survives much as it was in the early decades of the 20th century when first recorded by Knox (1913-14, 200-202), who suggested that it may be the remains of a bailey or bawn associated with the castle. The ruined castle stands at the SE angle. The W side of the enclosure has a well defined scarp (H 0.8m) with a broad external fosse (Wth top 6.5m at top, 3.6m at base; D 0.5m). A slight rise (Wth c. 3.6m) on the outer edge of the fosse may be a levelled bank. The N side is also defined by a scarp, but the E side is low and poorly defined. Approximately mid-way along the W side, there is a low rectangular rise (c. 11m E−W; 5m N−S) of uncertain significance. The N and S sides are defined by low scarps (H 0.45m); the W side coincides with the bawn scarp; the E side is indistinct. Knox also noted an extensive array of linear banks or ‘ramparts’ and ditches (MA091-017002-) to W and S−SW. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 11 February 2022

• MA091-025 Enclosure
  Description

  In pasture, located on level ground strewn with limestone boulders, overlooked immediately to NE by a rocky rise/limestone outcropping. A roughly circular enclosure is shown on an 1811 estate map; it is not shown on the 1838 and 1920 OS 6-inch maps. When inspected in 1998, the west half (c. 20-25m N–S; c. 11m E–W) of the enclosure was visible in ephemeral outline, crossed at E by a straight N−S field wall. No trace of the E half of the enclosure is visible at ground level. There is now a forestry plantation at the location. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 9 February 2022

• MA091-026001 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  In pasture, straddling a rise, with good views. Roughly D-shaped platform (25.8m NNW–SSE; 21.3m E–W) defined by a scarp (H 0.85m at S; 1.4m at N) which retains a slight internal rim in parts. The rath is truncated on the E side, where it now has a linear edge extending NW−SE. The N half of the interior has a slight slope down to N. Slightly NE of centre is a small, low sod-covered, circular mound (2.4m N–S; 2m E–W; H 0.2m) of unknown function. There is no clearly defined entrance –it may have been on the damaged E side. A relict field boundary (MA091-026002-) was noted in an aerial photograph (GSI M 99 –100; Roll 213, pr. 24) to NE of the rath. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 9 February 2022

• MA091-026002 Field boundary
  Description

  In pasture, immediately to NE of a rath (MA091-026001-). A field boundary is visible on an aerial photo (SMR file: GSI M 99 –100; Roll 213, pr. 24) skirting the N side of the rath and extending to NW for c. 80m. Inspected in 1998, the field boundary had been removed during land reclamation works and a cropmark (L c. 20m; Wth c. 3m) was visible immediately to NW of the rath. The field boundary is of unknown date, but its alignment runs counter to the present-day N-S and E-W layout of fields. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 9 February 2022

Architectural heritage

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

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 Murneen South, 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 low, partly inferred.

Terrain model

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

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 Murneen South with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Mayo.

Name

Murneen South · Muirnín Theas

Area

1,595,964 m² (159.6 ha, 394.37 acres)

Civil parish

Kilcolman (Claremorris Ra), and its townlands

Barony

Clanmorris

Electoral division

Murneen, the unit of the census

Census 2022

372 people lived in 149 households in the Murneen electoral division. 91% of households owned their home. 20% of homes were built since 2001. 20% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 5% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Ballynabrehon North, Kilcolman, Mace Lower, Mace Middle, Mace Upper, Murneen North

Placenames

Murneen South 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.