Windtown

Area

230,370 m² (23.04 ha, 56.93 acres)

Buildings

3 buildings touch it, 448 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

Windtown

Planning applications on this parcel

• 21 May 2021Conditional

  Permission for a private dwelling house, proprietry effluent treatment system and percolation area, domestic garage, entrance onto public road and all ancillary site services

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 21282

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 8 recorded monuments.

• WM007-013 Barrow - bowl-barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of seven barrows (WM007-014/016/017/018/015/015001-), six of the barrows are still visible with no surface remains visible of the seventh barrow. Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 58) as following: ‘By far the largest and most prominent barrow in the cemetery, this partly overgrown monument comprises a bowl-shaped, almost conical mound with steep, gently rounded sides and a distinct rounded apex (Diam. 17.2m N-S x 17.1 E-W), which is surrounded by a ditch (Diam. (overall) 22.4m N-S x 22.2m E-W). On N side, where a measurement could be taken rather than on overgrown NE side where ditch was deepest, mound rises 3.8m above the ditch; where deepest at NE, ditch drops 0.45m below external ground level. Ditch is far better preserved at N than at S, where it is shallow and mostly silted, but the range of widths is fairly narrow: 2.4m (N), 2.6m (E), 2.8m (S), 2.5m (W). Where mound has been poached or otherwise eroded, as at SW, it can be seen to comprise very stony soil. Barrow is located where land begins to slope down gently to N; as such, and possibly to make the monument appear fairly symmetric with respect to the central vertical axis, N side of mound would appear to be more massive and the ditch correspondingly deeper’. Recent drone photograph taken by Peter Nagy shows a small ditch-barrow (WM007-016----; Site C in McGuiness Survey 2015) immediately to the W of the bowl-barrow (pers. comm. Peter Nagy and Anthony Murphy 20/01/2023). See attached drone photograph courtesy of and © Peter Nagy and Figure 36 taken from McGuinness 2015, 57 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 2/1979). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 25 January 2023

• WM007-014 Barrow - bowl-barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of seven barrows (WM007-014/016/017/018/015/015001-), six of the barrows are still visible with no surface remains visible of the seventh barrow. Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 59) as following: ‘Monument comprises a domed or inverted-bowl-shaped mound (Diam. 12.4m N-S x 11.7m E-W) with flattened summit, surrounded by a broad, flat-based circular ditch (Overall diam. 17.9m N-S x 16.7m E-W), now mostly silted up. At NNW, where best preserved, ditch drops 1.80m below summit of mound and 0.13m below external ground level; its range of width measurements is fairly tight: 2.80m (N), 2.8m (E), 2.70m (S), 2.2m (W). Where mound has been poached or otherwise eroded on SE side, it can be seen to comprise very stony soil’. This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 2/1979). See attached drone photograph courtesy of and © Peter Nagy Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 25 January 2023

• WM007-015 Barrow - ring-barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of seven barrows (WM007-014/016/017/018/015/015001-), six of the barrows are still visible with no surface remains visible of the seventh barrow. Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 60) as following: ‘An impressive and unusual pair of conjoined mounds (WM007-015001-), the axis along their conjoined diameters running NNE-SSW for a length of 22.5m, with possible traces of a broad shallow ditch around the pair visible on aerial photographs better than on the ground; it should be noted that the ASI account of 14/5/81 is clear that ‘No trace of any fosse is to be seen around either site’ [SMR file], although a more recent plan of the site included in the SMR file clearly shows the discontinuous remains of a ditch surrounding the mounds. Both mounds are dome-or bowl-shaped with distinct summits and a saddle between them, its lowest point rising 2.2m over line of adjacent ditch on W side; the N-most (WM007-015----) is the broader and taller of the two with a diameter of 13.5m NW-SE, a height of 0.85m over the saddle, and a height 3.1m over line of ditch on W side; the S-most (WM007-015001-) has a diameter of 11m, a height of 0.5m over the saddle, and a height of 2.6m over line of ditch on W side. Poaching on E side show the mound to be of very stony earth’. This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 2/1979). See attached drone photograph courtesy of and © Peter Nagy Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 25 January 2023

• WM007-015001 Barrow - ring-barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of seven barrows (WM007-014/016/017/018/015/015001-), six of the barrows are still visible with no surface remains visible of the seventh barrow. Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 60) as following: ‘An impressive and unusual pair of conjoined mounds (WM007-015----), the axis along their conjoined diameters running NNE-SSW for a length of 22.5m, with possible traces of a broad shallow ditch around the pair visible on aerial photographs better than on the ground; it should be noted that the ASI account of 14/5/81 is clear that ‘No trace of any fosse is to be seen around either site’ [SMR file], although a more recent plan of the site included in the SMR file clearly shows the discontinuous remains of a ditch surrounding the mounds. Both mounds are dome-or bowl-shaped with distinct summits and a saddle between them, its lowest point rising 2.2m over line of adjacent ditch on W side; the N-most (WM007-015----) is the broader and taller of the two with a diameter of 13.5m NW-SE, a height of 0.85m over the saddle, and a height 3.1m over line of ditch on W side; the S-most (WM007-015001-) has a diameter of 11m, a height of 0.5m over the saddle, and a height of 2.6m over line of ditch on W side. Poaching on E side show the mound to be of very stony earth’. This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 2/1979). See attached drone photograph courtesy of and © Peter Nagy Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Date of upload: 10 February 2016

• WM007-016 Barrow - ditch barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of seven barrows (WM007-014/016/017/018/015/015001-), six of the barrows are still visible with no surface remains visible of the seventh barrow. Ditch-barrow surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 59) as following: ‘Very low-relief earthwork similar in appearance to Site B [WM007-017----] but even less well preserved, comprising a low roughly circular central mound or platform (Diam. 6.4m N-S x 6m E-W) surrounded by a ditch (Overall diam. 9m N-S x 8.7m E-W); there appears to be no remains of an outer bank, but this could easily have been ploughed out prior to the 1981 ASI account. Ditch reaches a depth of 0.28m below central mound and 0.05m below external ground level at N. Monument is located on more or less level ground 3m SE of Site B [WM007-017----] and just 2m W of Site A [WM007-013----]. Very faint traces of what may be a third ring-barrow are visible 5m SW of this site’. Recent drone photograph taken by Peter Nagy shows a small ditch-barrow (WM007-016----; Site C in McGuiness Survey 2015) immediately to the W of the bowl-barrow (pers. comm. Peter Nagy and Anthony Murphy 20/01/2023). See attached drone photograph courtesy of and © Peter Nagy and Figure 36 taken from McGuinness 2015, 57 Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 25 January 2023

• WM007-017 Barrow - ditch barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of seven barrows (WM007-014/016/017/018/015/015001-), six of the barrows are still visible with no surface remains visible of the seventh barrow. Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 58) as following: ‘Very low-relief earthwork comprising a low central mound or platform (Diam. 7m N-S x 6.7m E-W) surrounded by a ditch (Overall diam. 10.5m N-S x 10.2m E-W); there appears to be no surface traces of an outer bank but this need not be surprising in view of the near-flattened condition of the site. Ditch reaches a greatest depth of 0.4m below central mound at W and 0.35m below external ground level at E. Monument is located on land sloping down gently but clearly from SE to NW, and lies 10.5m NW of Site A [WM007-013----] and 3m NW of Site B [WM007-016----]’. See attached Figures 36 and 38 taken from McGuinness 2015, 57, 58 Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 25 January 2023

• WM007-018 Barrow - bowl-barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of seven barrows (WM007-014----; WM007-016----; WM007-017----; WM007-018----; WM007-015----; WM007-015001-). Monument surveyed in 2015 and described by McGuinness (2015, 60) as following: ‘This monument, listed on NMS website as an unclassified-barrow. It appears to be the mound referred to in ASI account of 14/5/81, which specifies that it had been removed in recent years, adding that ‘this however probably related to quarrying (there is a quarry hole nearby) and is not thought therefore to have been an antiquity’ [SMR file]. Given its hilltop location in immediate vicinity of a barrow cemetery, this site must be regarded as a possible mound-barrow or, perhaps more likely, a fifth bowl barrow with shallow ditch. This hilltop cemetery of six barrows overlooks Lough Lene, which lies 0.5km to S. Although not visible, the important early medieval monastery of Fore lies on lower ground only 1.2km to ENE, at foot of group of hills on N side of Lough Lene, of which the present site is on the westernmost hill. On a sketch-map of Fore and other important pre-Norman locations around Lough Lene prepared for the Ordnance Survey Letters in 1837, John O’Donovan marked three barrows (‘na móitínídhe’) on this hill (Herity (ed.) 2011, Fig. 6), which is labelled ‘Cnoc na Caillíghe’ like the analogously named passage-tomb cemetery at Loughcrew (‘Sliabh na Caillighe’) and other sites of hilltop burial cairns linked to the Cailleach Bheara in folklore. On a prominent hilltop across W end of Lough Lene in Ballany, c. 2.2km to SSW of the barrows, is Ráth an Dúin or Dún Doirbhgheis (‘Turgesius’s Fort’), a remarkable monument (WM007-035----) described by John O’Donovan of the Ordnance Survey in 1837 as consisting of ‘one ring of earth which, enclosing the whole apex of the hill and being adapted to its outline (contour) is nearly of an oval shape, being about 160 feet in breadth and 210 in length. It extends east and west’; although traditionally linked with the Viking Turgesius, O’Donovan argued that this naturally and artificially fortified hill was a seat of Irish kings prior to the time of Turgesius, based on similarities with Dún na Sgiath on Lough Ennell (Herity (ed.) 2011, 172-)’. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by David McGuinness. Date of upload: 10 February 2016

• WM007-135 Barrow - pond barrow
  Description

  A barrow-cemetery consisting of eight barrows (WM007-014/016/017/018/015/015001-), six of the barrows are still visible with no surface remains visible of the seventh barrow. Possible pond-barrow visible as a sunken circular shaped area (diam. c. 6m) on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13 and on Google Earth orthoimages. See attached Google Earth orthoimage taken 14/05/2020 Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 10 February 2016

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. 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.