Rackavra
Townland in the civil parish of Killare, barony of Rathconrath, Co. Westmeath
Parcel 96797
- Area
- 260,473 m² (26.05 ha, 64.36 acres)
- Buildings
- 6 buildings touch it, 855 m² on the ground
- Zoning
- No zone of a development plan covers it in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply.
- Townland
- Rackavra
Planning applications on this parcel
20 Feb 2024Conditional
construction of a slatted shed with concrete area’s with all ancillary site works
Permission · Westmeath County Council, 2460041
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 this parcel.
Recorded monuments around it
This parcel is in the zone of notification of 2 recorded monuments.
- WM024-044 Enclosure - large enclosure
Description
Situated in fairly low-lying, rough pasture with moderate views in all directions. A cist (WM024-045----) lies c. 125m to SE. Monument described in 1971 and 1977 as a large, oval-shaped area enclosed by a well-preserved bank, a short section of an intervening fosse and outer bank. The inner earth and stone bank is high and steep on the exterior but rises only slightly above the interior. A short portion of shallow fosse is visible at S and there is a low outer bank beyond this which cuts across the fosse and into the base of the enclosure bank. It is unclear if this is an original feature. There are vague traces of a possible structure adjoining the exterior of the scarp at SW. The interior rises gently from the perimeter to the centre and is divided by internal banks. There are rocky outcrops and cultivation ridges in the S and W quadrants. In the E quadrant, inside the bank, is a potential house site, however this is ill-defined and inconclusive. The N quadrant has linear banks running N-S towards the centre. Outline of monument and internal divisions clearly visible on oblique aerial photographs taken 12/09/1966 (CUCAP AOY091/092/099). See attached plan of enclosure surveyed and drawn by the ASI Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 August 2019
- WM024-045 Cist
Description
Situated in a gently rounded gravelly knoll, in tillage. An enclosure (WM024-044----) lies c. 125m to NW. Monument described as a subsurface feature which was the subject of full excavation by John Sheehan in 1982, revealing a cist burial approx. 0.2-0.3m below the present ground surface: This is a short, slightly wedge-shaped stone-lined grave (Wth at N end 0.57m; Wth at S end 0.68m; L 0.8m N-S; D 0.55m) containing human remains. It was discovered when the capstone was dislodged during ploughing, exposing a void beneath. It is defined by a single piece of limestone on each of the four sides. Behind each of these side stones were horizontally laid stones designed to relieve the weight of the capstone and were further strengthened by the placing of cushion stones at each corner. The capstone was a limestone flag (dims. 1.3m N-S; 1m E-W; T 0.2m) which was found ex-situ after its recent exposure. The contents of the cist appear to have been disturbed prior to this, sometime in the post-medieval period. The cist had been constructed in an oval pit (max. Wth 1.8m E-W; D 0.75-0.85m) which had been excavated from a gravelly subsoil. Several larger stones had been backfilled into the pit to provide support to the side stones of the cist. There was no prepared floor i.e. paving or clay. The upper layer of the pit was disturbed during the recent exposure and contained several human bones. The lower layer was more consolidated and contained more human remains which were primarily intact. In the lower fill there were several small quartz pebbles, 17 rim and body sherds of Bronze Age pottery and one sherd of 17th century Cistercian ware. Excavation of the pit revealed a single waste piece of white, patinated flint flake. Analysis of the human remains by Professor C.A. Erskine, Department of Anatomy at Trinity College Dublin revealed that these were of two individuals. One was an adult male and the other of a child of indeterminate sex. Pottery analysis identified that the pot was of the Bowl Tradition of the Early Bronze Age. Despite only 25% of the whole pot surviving, there were enough rim sherds to confirm an overall rim diameter of 0.14m. See attached plan and cross-section of the cist and pit surveyed and drawn during the excavation by J. Sheehan in 1982. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 August 2019
Architectural heritage
No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands on this parcel.
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).
Download this parcel: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program; GeoJSON, in WGS 84, for a map.
Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.
- Area
- 203.5 ha
- 503 acres
- Land parcels
- 33
- registered freehold, median 17,788 m² (1.78 ha, 4.4 acres)
- Zoning
- —
- not in a zoned settlement
- Planning
- 2
- applications since 2010
Land parcels
Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann
33 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Rackavra, from 1,813 m² to 610,362 m² (61.04 ha, 150.82 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 28 neighbouring parcels touch it.
Zoning
Development plans, national zoning
No zone of a development plan covers Rackavra 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
20 Feb 2024Conditional
construction of a slatted shed with concrete area’s with all ancillary site works
Permission · Westmeath County Council, 2460041
5 Jul 2023N/a
construction of a 4 bedroom single storey dwelling split into 3 blocks located on the footprint of an historic cottage and turf shed, upgrade existing roadway to site, installation of a domestic sewage treatment system and percolation area and all necessary site works, landscaping and drainage. Dwelling located in proximity to ruinous mill, a monument (ref: WM024-189) included on the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) for Co. Westmeath
Permission · Westmeath County Council, 2360205
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 Rackavra.
Recorded monuments
- WM024-041 Ringfort - rath
Description
Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating, low lying pasture. Monument described in 1971 and 1979 as a roughly circular-shaped area (dims. 39.50m N-S; 38.50m E-W) enclosed by a bank and external fosse with a gap (Wth at top 3.7m; Wth at base 1.7m) at N which may represent the entrance, a wide gap at SE has been partly blocked with stones. The bank is best preserved from NE-S and is almost reduced to a scarp from S-W-WNW. There is a large stone set on edge on the bank interior at S. The interior has a gentle ESE-facing slope and has cultivation ridges running NW-SE. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 August 2019
- WM024-050 Ringfort - rath
Description
Situated on a small outcrop, in undulating pasture with extensive views to NW, N and E although restricted to S and SW. Monument described in 1980 as a D-shaped area (dims. 33m NNW-SSW; 24m ESE-WNW) enclosed by an earth and stone bank best preserved where it is highest from NNE-E and poorly preserved where it is low and slight from E-S-W-N-NNE and almost reduced to a scarp. It contains a good deal of stone with some evidence of an external stone facing at SSE. A gap (Wth 2.5m) at SE may represent the original entrance. The interior is uneven and rises gradually from the perimeter to the centre. There is rock outcrop within, although no other features are evident. The interior rises gradually from the perimeter to the centre and is uneven due to outcropping rock. A modern field bank running WNW-ESE flanks the straight side of this D-shaped monument. A second field bank runs along the perimeter from WNW-N. These field banks and others to SE, S and SW have recently been defaced and are partially levelled. A hole has been excavated just outside the perimeter at NW, N and SE, where it is possible that large boulders have been removed. According to a previous field report of 1971, there was a slight fosse visible all around and an outer bank present from NNW-N-NE, however these may have been infilled and levelled respectively in the interim period between the two site visits. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 August 2019
- WM024-051 Ringfort - rath
Description
Situated on a rise, on top of a ridge, in pasture, with extensive views in all directions. Monument described in 1971 and 1980 as a roughly circular-shaped area (diam. 54m) enclosed by a bank, an intervening fosse and an outer bank. The substantial earth and stone inner bank has several small gaps and is almost reduced to a scarp in places. The fosse is wide and flat-bottomed from NE-E-S-SSW and contains field clearance stones from N-NE and from SSW-W-N. The outer bank is visible from N-NE and is incorporated into the townland boundary from NE-E-S-SSW where it is a drystone wall. There are possible remains of internal stone facing at NE. Although there are a number of disturbance gaps in the bank at N, E and S, the original entrance is not recognisable. The interior is level and a field wall running roughly NE-SW extends across the E quadrant. Monument is visible today as a tree-covered earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 August 2019
- WM024-087 Ringfort - rath
Description
Situated on top of a slight rise, in gently undulating pasture. Monument described in 1971 and 1979 as an oval-shaped area enclosed by a bank, a fosse and an outer bank. The bank is steep and is best preserved from ENE-E-SE and is almost reduced to a scarp from SE-S-W-N-ENE. The fosse is shallow and is visible from W-N. The remains of an outer bank are present from W-N and this appears to have been replaced by a field wall from N-E-S-W. A gap at W may represent the entrance. The interior has a slight SSE-facing slope and is occupied by hut sites (WM024-087001-) and other banks. See attached plan and profile of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 13 August 2019
- WM024-087001 Hut site
Description
Situated on top of a slight rise, in gently undulating pasture. In the centre and W quadrant of ringfort (WM024-087----) is a long rectangular house orientated NW-SE. It is defined by the remains of a low and broad, grass-covered bank. The house has two rooms divided by a similar low, broad bank. The doorways are not recognisable. The remains of a possible second structure adjoin the interior of the ringfort bank at ESE. The remainder of the interior of the ringfort is divided by similar banks. See attached plan and profile of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 13 August 2019
Architectural heritage
No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Rackavra.
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).
Homes sold
Property Price Register
No address of the register names Rackavra with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.
The townland
- Name
- Rackavra
- Area
- 2,035,313 m² (203.53 ha, 502.94 acres)
- Civil parish
- Killare, and its townlands
- Barony
- Rathconrath
- Electoral division
- Killare, the unit of the census
- Neighbouring townlands
- Ballinive, Ballinkeeny Or Mosstown, Clare, Dungaghy, Killarecastle, Rathskeagh Lower, Rathskeagh Upper
- Placenames
- Rackavra on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland
Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, 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.