Ranelagh
Townland in the civil parish of Roscommon, barony of Ballintober South, Co. Roscommon
- Area
- 28.6 ha
- 71 acres
- Land parcels
- 7
- registered freehold, median 15,587 m² (1.56 ha, 3.85 acres)
- Zoning
- —
- not in a zoned settlement
- Planning
- 1
- applications since 2010
Land parcels
Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann
7 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Ranelagh, from 1,570 m² to 207,905 m² (20.79 ha, 51.37 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 17 neighbouring parcels touch it.
Download the townland: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings; GeoJSON or KML.
Zoning
Development plans, national zoning
No zone of a development plan covers Ranelagh 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.
Planning applications
Sites that touch the townland, newest first
2 Jul 2024Conditional
Retention Permission for the following: (a) Retention and completion of partly constructed storage shed for domestic use and (b) Retention for an as constructed tool shed at
Retention, 1 home · Roscommon County Council, 24104
Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.
Nature and heritage
Designated sites and recorded monuments
Designated sites
No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Ranelagh.
Recorded monuments
- RO039-017 Ringfort - rath
Description
Towards the bottom of a SE-facing slope. D-shaped grass-covered platform with mature deciduous trees (dims 33.4m N-S; 17.5m E-W; H 0.1-0.4m) defined by a rounded fosse (Wth of top 3.7-4.1m; Wth of base 1.7-2.1m; D 0.05-0.3m) NNW-E-SSE. The monument is truncated at W by a N-S road wall and does not survive W of this. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010
- RO039-102 Concentric enclosure
Description
Located on a slight rise which is on a gentle NE-facing slope. A remote sensing survey (15R0052) (Bonsall and Gimson 2015) identified a complex enclosure at Area 4 of a 2.5km road improvement scheme on the N61 road about 1.7km N of the northern edge of Roscommon town. Archaeological testing (15E0136) of the N-S road-take containing Ranelagh 1 confirmed the complex nature of the enclosure and recovered human remains (O’Connell 2015). The monument was completely excavated within the road-take under the same licence by Shane Delaney assisted by Muireann Ní Cheallachain between October 2015 and October 2016 (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017). It consists of a multivallate circular enclosure with three enclosing fosses. Included within the road-take are two small souterrains (RO039-102002-; RO039-102003-), four kilns (RO039-102004-), a possible well (RO039102005-), pits and hearths (RO039-102006-), although no house or hut-site has been identified. A fourth subrectangular enclosure surrounds a Cillín or Childrens’ burial ground (RO039-102007-), consisting of concentrations of infant burials from the upper levels of a more extensive burial ground with adult inhumations (RO039-102001-). In all, 551 articulated burials and 242 disturbed deposits of bones were recorded. Some field drains may be contemporary with the multivallate enclosure, notably at least five ditches extending radially from Enclosure A towards Enclosure C, although exact connections with these features are not made, and externally some field drains are thought to be part of a contemporary field system. A later trivallate enclosure (RO039-102008-) is attached to the NW of the outermost enclosing fosse of the concentric enclosure. A sixth to eleventh century date for the primary activity is indicated. The central and probably the earliest enclosure (A) is a circular area (int. diam. c. 32m) defined by a fosse (max. Wth 2.6m; max. D 1.5m), with an unexcavated causeway (Wth 2m) at SSE. Two clusters of three post-holes each at the inner end of the causeway may have formed a gateway, perhaps renewed twice. The ditch was filled with some slippage from both sides together with some redeposited habitation material, but most of the fill was fairly sterile clay that was probably a deliberate backfill. A strip (Wth 3m), devoid of features, inside the fosse suggests that it had an inner bank. A short section of the fosse was re-cut (Wth 2.2m; D 0.8m; L 17.1m) on the outside at NNW, and a second fosse (Wth 2m; D 1m) loops out from the original fosse at NE, and runs past the entrance to a point at SW, leaving a corridor (Wth 2.5-5m; L 30m) leading from the SW to the entrance. This fosse, which was deliberately backfilled, cuts a slighter, earlier feature on the same line. Surrounding Enclosure A was Enclosure B, which may be an earlier or later phase of Enclosure A, and it is represented by a narrower excavated fosse (Wth 1.2m; D 0.7m) at N and S. These are connected on the W side of the road-take as shown by the geophysical survey, but on the E side the continuity is interrupted by a N-S field wall. This fosse was backfilled with silty clays that contain various amounts of animal bone, and it may have been remodelled at S. Enclosure A is N of the centre of this oval enclosure (dims c. 70m E-W; c. 55m N-S) that has not got a very prominent fosse, and this has a large gap (Wth c. 25m) at NNW. The third enclosure (C) is oval (int. dims c. 90m E-W; 65m N-S) and encompasses B but is not concentric with it. Enclosure C is defined by a substantial U-shaped ditch (max. Wth 3.75m; max. D 1.5m), and there may be an entrance at NW, at the edge of the road-take. The ditch was filled with silty or sandy clay fills that produced iron pins, nails, and sheet metal as well as bone objects and fragments of quernstones. The fosse also yielded sherds of North Devon gravel-free ware, and the uppermost fill produced sherds of black glazed red earthenware, providing a late seventeenth or eighteenth century date for its final closing. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 10-13) See the attached plan from Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, Fig. 4 Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 12 January, 2016 Amended: 8 December 2020
- RO039-102001 Burial ground
Description
Located within the concentric enclosure (RO039-102----). The burials extended over a triangular area (dims c. 30m NW-SE; c. 25m NE-SW) with the apex at NW within Enclosure A where the burial process began and from where the burials are thought to have spread S and E, over the fosses of Enclosure A until they encountered the fosse of Enclosure C, which may have provided a boundary on this side. Enclosure A was abandoned by this stage, although the interments respected the area of its bank but not of its causeway or the fills of its fosses. Some of the early burials at the NW apex were stone-lined and all were roughly oriented west-east, with the head at W. In all, 551 articulated burials and 242 disturbed deposits of bones were recorded. There were some unusual burials. One probable male had a single toe-ring, probably from a sandal, and there is evidence of some shroud use. Grave-goods do occur, and some glass and amber beads, quartz pebbles, iron objects, bone pins and spindle whorls, and boars’ tusks were recovered, often from the head or shoulder area. Unusual items were fragments of a crucible with copper alloy adhering, and pieces of worked antler grasped in the hands of an adolescent. A few interments had evidence that the hands and feet might have been bound, and there were two cases of decapitation. There were two burials of children or adolescents in an embracing posture, in the older part of the burial ground. There were even some crouched burials as well as some isolated burials outside the unmarked limits of the burial ground. Intense clusters of burials, perhaps family groups, were noted at various points, and there were also clusters of infant burials, particularly at the SE extent, which together with Enclosure D form the Childrens’ burial ground (RO039-102007-). (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 13-16) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 December 2020
- RO039-102002 Souterrain
Description
Souterrain 1 is located c. 2-3m inside the fosse of Enclosure B of the concentric enclosure at SW and is aligned NW-SE parallel with it, suggesting that it may have been built just inside an inner bank of the enclosure. It is an undifferentiated passage (L 5m; Wth 1.5m; max. D 0.9m at NW), which is only lined with stone at the NW end and the adjacent parts of the long walls. However, there were two earth-cut steps flanked by two post-holes at the SE entrance, and another post-hole was inside and half way along the SW wall. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 17) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 December 2020
- RO039-102003 Souterrain
Description
Souterrain 2 (L 4.28m; Wth 1.4m; max. D 1.22m at E) is situated just NE of Enclosure A and oriented ENE-WSW, with an air-vent (Wth 0.45m; D 0.45m) extending ENE (L 8.6m) from the centre of its E wall, which corbels in slightly. The souterrain was stone-lined and straight-sided and its entrance ramp at W was cut through the fill of the Enclosure A fosse. The souterrain was filled with clays and silts with some charcoal flecking but these layers were largely sterile, although a crucible fragment and an iron knife were recovered from it. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 17) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload; 8 December 2020
- RO039-102004 Kiln - corn-drying
Description
One of the two kilns within Enclosure A was in the area occupied by its bank and must pre-date or post-date it. Another kiln was W of Enclosure A, but within Enclosure B. These kilns were of the figure-of-eight type (L 2.2-2.3m; Wth 0.85-1.36; D 0.3-0.52m), but the fourth kiln was keyhole-shaped (dims 4.13m 0.94m; D 0.55m) and placed in the fosse of Enclosure C at SE. It was stone-lined, had six fills and a fire-reddened base, and is undoubtedly late. The charcoal pit (dims 1.57m x 0.66m; D 0.34m), which may have been another kiln, was located in the passage between the fosses of Enclosure A at SE. It was truncated by the outer fosse, which it must pre-date. This feature contained two sandy upper fills, but the lower fill was mostly charcoal with some ash and had a fire-reddened base. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 16, 18, 20) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 December 2020
- RO039-102005 Well
Description
A large subcircular and straight-sided pit (dims 3.58m x 2.66m; D 1.9m) with an access ramp at N, which is located between the fosses of Enclosures A and B at S, is interpreted as a possible well or water-hole. It had seven grey silty clay layers indicative of standing water at the base, and its upper layers were cut by the perimeter of Enclosure D at SW. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 19) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 December 2020
- RO039-102006 Habitation site
Description
There were no recognisable hut sites or house sites anywhere within the concentric enclosure, but there were numerous other features, although it cannot be absolutely certain to which enclosure they might relate. At the centre of Enclosure A was a large subcircular pit (dims 2.3m x 1.91m; D 0.36m), which had a cluster of post-holes around its rim and whose clay fill produced a socketed iron tool and some bones. There were three hearths, one within Enclosure B at SE and two outside Enclosure C to the N, but none has any particular associations. There were seven other pits (dims 1.24-3.5m x 1.14-1.86m; D 0.24-0.64m) with what is regarded as industrial waste outside Enclosure A and within Enclosure B, although their contents might just as well be redeposited habitation material. The pits were filled with dump layers, from which a lot of bone and iron objects were recovered as well as ash and charcoal. Two of these pits were dug into the fill of Enclosure B’s enclosing fosse at W but, although some crucibles were recovered, no furnace bottoms or metal-working areas were recorded anywhere. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 18-19) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 December 2020
- RO039-102007 Children's burial ground
Description
Enclosure D is a subrectangular area (dims c. 16-26m plus NE-SW; c. 22m NW-SE) defined by slight ditches (Wth 0.6-1.4m; D 0.65m), with drystone walls added on the SW and NW sides. There is an entrance gap (Wth c. 2m), flanked by two post-holes, towards the N end of the NW side. This enclosure is an attempt to enclose the later infant burials in the burial ground (RO039-102001-), and it can be described as a Cillín or Childrens’ burial ground. Its boundaries cut the upper fills of the earlier enclosures as well as some of the earlier adult burials. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 12-13) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 December 2020
- RO039-102008 Enclosure
Description
Situated on a gentle NE-facing slope. A multivallate enclosure is attached to Enclosure C of the concentric enclosure (RO039-102----) at NW. It was noted in the geophysical survey (15R0052) as three concentric ditches attaching to the fosse of Enclosure C of the concentric enclosure (Bonsall and Gimson 2015), although only a small area of the conjunction was within the road-take at the NE edge of the this enclosure. Through excavation (15E0136) it could be shown that the outermost of the three fosses (Wth 3m; max. D 2.5m) cut the fill of the fosse of Enclosure C, but the SW edge of this attached enclosure (int. dims c. 50m NE-SW; c. 30m NW-SE) is truncated at SW by a NW-SE road wall of the old N61. The fosses of two internal features also appear to attach to the fosse of Enclosure C. The outermost fosse has an entrance gap (Wth 3m) at NE, not far from the junction of the fosse with Enclosure C and the entrance to Enclosure C. Other small enclosures and what may be numerous pits to the E of the concentric enclosure are as yet unproven. (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, 20, Fig. 3) See the attached plan from (Delaney and Ní Cheallacháin 2017, Fig. 3 Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 8 December 2020
- RO039-103 Fulacht fia
Description
Situated in a level, low-lying landscape. Archaeological testing (15E0138) in advance of a 2.5km road improvement scheme on the N61 road about 1km N of the northern edge of Roscommon town identified burnt mound material at Ranelagh 2 which was completely excavated (15E0265) by the same archaeologist. A burnt spread (dims 5.5m NE-SW: 3.6m NW-SE: T 0.05m) partially covered an unlined trough (dims 2.1m E-W; 1.68m N-S; D 0.6m) and pit (dims 1.4m E-W; 1.1m N-S; D 0.7m), both filled with burnt mound material and both disturbed by an inserted WNW-ESE land drain. A group of four pits (dims 1.25m x 1.1m; max. D 0.55m to 2.4m x 3.25m; max. D 0.9m) were c. 5m SW of the trough and largely filled with burnt mound material (O’Connell 2015, 8). Radiocarbon dating indictes that the fulacht fia was in use 2300-1900 BC (excavations.ie 2015:440). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 12 January, 2017 Amended: 20 October 2021 O’Connell, A. 2015 N61 Coolteige (Phase 1) Road Project. Archaeological Consultancy Services Contract Stage (i) Services Area 4. Licence No. 15E0136. Unpublished report, Archer Heritage Planning for Roscommon County Council
Architectural heritage
No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Ranelagh.
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).
Ground and risks
Radon, landslides, flooding
- Radon
- About 1 in 5 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home
- Landslides
- Susceptibility low, on the 1:50,000 map.
- Terrain model
- LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_1368 (ZIP).
- Flooding
- The flood maps of the Office of Public Works: floodinfo.ie.
Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency; Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland; both 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.
Homes sold
Property Price Register
No address of the register names Ranelagh with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Roscommon.
The townland
- Name
- Ranelagh
- Area
- 286,198 m² (28.62 ha, 70.72 acres)
- Civil parish
- Roscommon, and its townlands
- Barony
- Ballintober South
- Electoral division
- Roscommon Rural, the unit of the census
- Census 2022
- Roscommon Rural electoral division: 5,513 people in 1,881 households; 68% of households own their home; 43% of homes were built since 2001; 6% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 2% were holiday homes.
- Neighbouring townlands
- Barnhill, Bohergarve, Lisnacroghy or Gallowstown, Mullymucks
- Placenames
- Ranelagh 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.