Rockfleet

14 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Rockfleet, from 338 m² to 97,746 m² (9.77 ha, 24.15 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary. 12 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 Rockfleet 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.

• 22 Apr 2026N/a

  The development will consist of the construction of a private dwelling house and effluent treatment system together with all ancillary site works. The application will be accompanied by a Natura Impact Statement (NIS).

  Permission · Mayo County Council, 2660322

• 5 Feb 2025N/a

  Section 5 Declaration: install a new heating system, new bathroom wear, upgrade the electrical installation to modern standards, install a kitchen and floor coverings throughout

  Permission · Mayo County Council, 2530

• 8 Sept 2022Conditional

  INSTALLATION OF A DOMESTIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM INCLUDING PUMPING, SECONDARY STAGE AND TERTIARY TREATMENT PRIOR TO DISCHARGE TO GROUND WATER WITHIN THE CURTILAGE OF THE EXISTING DWELLING HOUSE, PROVISION OF AN AREA WITHIN THE CURTILAGE FOR OFF-ROAD PARKING OF VEHICLES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DWELLING HOUSE

  Permission, 1 home · Mayo County Council, 22764

• 18 May 2021Refused

  CONSTRUCTION OF A DWELLING HOUSE WITH SEPTIC TANK AND TERTIARY TREATMENT SYSTEM AND PERCOLATION AREA

  Permission · Mayo County Council, 21507

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

Designated sites

• Special Area of Conservation: Clew Bay Complex SAC 001482
• Proposed Natural Heritage Area: Clew Bay Complex 001482

Recorded monuments

• MA067-024 Enclosure
  Description

  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 access available information for research purposes please make an appointment in advance with the Archive Unit (open Fridays 10.00 am – 5.00 pm), Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, The Custom House, Dublin 1 D01W6XO or email NMarchive@housing.gov.ie.

• MA067-025001 Castle - tower house
  Description

  Located on the shoreline of Rockfleet Bay, a sheltered but deep inlet on the NE side of Clew Bay. It is built on limestone bedrock on the W side of the mouth a small river that flow into the NE end of the inlet. This tower house is a National Monument (no. 454) in state ownership. It is indicated as ‘Rockfleet Castle (in Ruins)’ on the OS 6-inch maps, but is also known by the Irish version of that name, Carrickahowly or Carraig a’Chabhlaigh, meaning ‘Rock of the Fleet’. It was partly restored in the 20th century when still in private ownership. The Office of Public Works is currently undertaking a programme of restoration and conservation at the castle. Aligned NNE-SSW, the tower house will be described here for convenience as though N−S. It is a four storey rectangular building (ext. dims. c.7.5m WNW−ESE; 9m NNE-SSW; wall T 1.8-2m) with a neatly integrated base batter. The (restored) gabled roof, the gabled ends at E and W, is set in from the walls of the tower, allowing space for a parapet walk with bartizans projecting from the NW and SE corners. Located directly on the shore, at high tide the sea laps against the base of the N, E and S walls. The entrance is at the E end of the N wall; the pointed arched doorway, reached by three stone steps, has a cut-stone surround. Stone corbels projecting from the interior walls supported the original wooden floors. There are no stone stairs from the ground level to the first floor; access was most likely by wooden ladder or stairs. A spiral stone stairs built into the SE angle leads from the first floor to the upper floors and the battlements, and also gives access to mural chambers and a garderobe or latrine in the thickness of the E wall. Effluent from the garderobe fell through a shute to the base of the wall, where it was conveniently flushed away at each high tide. Windows throughout are small, narrow, rectangular opes or loops. The second floor has a vaulted stone ceiling. This supports the stone-flagged floor of the uppermost chamber, which is located directly beneath the pitched roof and appears to have been the principal chamber of the castle. It features a large fireplace in the S wall, the large chimney of which rises from the exterior wall; no fireplaces are evident on any of the lower floors. There is a large pointed-arch opening in the N wall, which is likely to have served as a door through which goods and supplies could be hoisted up, an easier method than carrying them up the narrow spiral stairs. Stone corbels protruding from the exterior face of the W wall indicate that another building or structure once abutted this side of the castle; a long rectangular building is shown on the 1836 OS 6-inch map on this side of the castle. A mid-19th- century account of the castle suggests that it was originally enclosed within a bawn (MA067-025004-) and an early 17th century document, which mentions the ‘castle and town of Carrickowla’, points to the existence of an associated settlement (MA067-025002-). The plain and unassuming character of this small tower house belies its interesting history. A castle of the Burke clan, descendants of the Angle-Norman de Burgos, Rockfleet is more famously associated with Gráinne Ní Máille (Grace O’Malley), or Granuaile as she is popularly known. She moved here in 1567 following her marriage to Richard an Iaranin (iron) Burke, whom she married three years after the death of her first husband. In 1570 Richard an Iarainn was designated táiniste (successor or heir) to the MacWilliam, clan chief of the MacWilliam Iachtarach or Mayo Burkes. The safe harbour of Rockfleet provided a convenient base from which Gránne could maintain her fleet of galleys and continue her family’s traditional seagoing lifestyle of fishing, trading and opportunistic raiding or piracy. Raids carried out by Gráinne’s fleet on Galway trading ships prompted Galway city in 1579 to send a fleet under Captain William Martin to besiege Rockfleet. But Gráinne successfully repelled the attack, and Captain Martin barely escaped capture. Following a period of conflict, Richard an Iarainn made a deal with Sir Nicholas Malby, English governor of Connacht, and as result not only succeeded to the Gaelic title of the MacWilliam, but also received an English knighthood. In 1580 he and Gráinne moved their base of operations to Lough Mask. But after his death in 1583, Gráinne returned to Rockfleet. The appointment the following year of Sir Richard Bingham as governor of Connacht initiated a decade of turmoil in the province. By 1591 Bingham had destroyed Gráinne’s fleet and confiscated her properties, reducing her to destitution. She appealed directly to Queen Elizabeth I for redress in 1591, and again in 1593, when she famously travelled to London and in a personal audience with Elizabeth succeeded in making a deal that allowed her to resume her former life. She is believed to have died at Rockfleet in 1603. In 1612 the castle was listed amongst the manorial properties granted by James I to Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormonde (Curtis 1934, 50). Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 13 November 2020

• MA067-025002 Settlement deserted - medieval
  Description

  This record refers to a settlement that may have developed adjacent to Rockfleet tower house (MA067-025001-). Rockfleet castle, also known as Carrigahowley, is mentioned in a document dated 1612 which lists extensive manorial lands and properties in Aughrim, Co. Galway and Burrishoole, Co. Mayo that were granted by James I to Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormonde. It is listed as ‘the castle and town of Carrickowla and four quarters of land adjacent…’ (Curtis 1934, 50). The nature and extent of this ‘town’ are unknown; no remains are now visible at ground level. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 13 November 2020

• MA067-025003 Burial
  Description

  Located c. 50m SW of Rockfleet tower house (MA067-025001-), on the N verge of the road which borders the shoreline. In 1948 roadworks at approximately this location exposed human remains at a depth of 0.6-0.9m below ground surface. The skeletal remains were largely destroyed, but appeared to represent a fully extended burial, aligned E−W. A few bone fragments were retrieved for examination; these were later reburied. No associated graveslabs or artefacts were found. The discovery was reported to the National Museum but was not further investigated. (Cahill and Sikora 2011, 499). Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 13 November 2020

• MA067-025004 Bawn
  Description

  At Rockfleet tower house (MA067-025001-). An enclosing wall, possibly the remnants of a bawn, was still standing in the early 1840’s when Rockfleet was visited by Mr and Mrs S.C. Hall. In the published account of their travels around Ireland, they described Rockfleet as follows: ‘Carrig-a-Hooly…consists of a square keep of solid masonry, the surface being scarcely broken by a few windows of exceedingly small and narrow dimensions. At one corner the ruins of a projecting barbican may be traced –the whole character of the building being that of savage strength. It stands upon the rock, and appears to have been protected by a strong surrounding wall, a small circular tower adjoining it being built in the remains of this wall.’ (Hall 1843, vol. 3, 390-391). No trace of the enclosing wall and small tower are now evident. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 13 November 2020

Architectural heritage

• Rockfleet Lodge, hunting/fishing lodge, 1700–1838 · Regional interest
  Description

  Detached five-bay two-storey fishing lodge, extant 1838, on a T-shaped plan centred on single-bay single-storey gabled projecting porch to ground floor. Vacant, 1901. Occupied, 1911. Pitched slate roofs including pitched (gabled) slate roof (porch), roll moulded clay ridge tiles centred on paired rendered chimney stacks having red brick chevron- or saw tooth-detailed corbelled stepped capping supporting crested yellow terracotta tapered pots, decorative timber bargeboards to gables on timber purlins, and replacement uPVC rainwater goods on exposed timber rafters. Creeper- or ivy-covered rendered, ruled and lined walls with rusticated rendered quoins to corners. Square-headed central door opening with tooled cut-limestone step threshold, and concealed dressings framing replacement timber panelled door. Square-headed window openings with drag edged dragged cut-limestone sills, and concealed dressings framing two-over-two timber sash windows. Interior including (ground floor): central hall retaining carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors; and carved timber surrounds to door openings to remainder framing timber panelled doors with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set back from line of road with piers to perimeter supporting looped wrought iron gate.

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 Rockfleet, 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. Parts of the land are water.

Terrain model

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

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

Name

Rockfleet · Carraig an Chabhlaigh

Area

391,904 m² (39.19 ha, 96.84 acres)

Civil parish

Burrishoole, and its townlands

Barony

Burrishoole

Electoral division

Newport West, the unit of the census

Census 2022

799 people lived in 290 households in the Newport West electoral division. 75% of households owned their home. 21% of homes were built since 2001. 11% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 31% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Carrowbeg North, Carrowsallagh, Gortfahy, Raigh, Wilford

Placenames

Rockfleet 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.