County: Sligo Site name: LAGHTA PATRICK, Inishmurray
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 11:1 Licence number: 99E0382
Author: Jerry O'Sullivan
Site type: Leacht
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 556745m, N 854070m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.433335, -8.666672
An altar or leacht was recorded on a low point at the eastern extremity of the island by several authorities, including the Ordnance Survey (1837; 1912), William Wakeman (1886), Lord Mountbatten (unpublished, 1972) and Michael Herity (1989). Only John O'Donovan, in recording the site for the Ordnance Survey in 1836, made reference to an associated cross-slab. Sadly, the site appeared to have been entirely denuded by marine erosion when revisited by the present writer in 1998; no trace of the leacht was upstanding.
The aim of further investigation in 1999 was simply to establish whether the base of the leacht survived. The location of the monument itself was successfully identified from OS map evidence. Remains of the base were exposed by stripping topsoil over an area of c. 3m x 3m. A basic record of the monument was made (scale drawing and photography), but no further excavation was undertaken and the base remains in situ. The basal dimensions were found to be as previously described (c. 2.5m x 2.4m). The adjacent storm beach was inspected, but the lost cross-slab was not recovered. There were no other finds.
This work was commissioned by Dúchas and undertaken by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division. No further work by GUARD is proposed at this site. Dúchas may in due course reconstruct the leacht in situ.
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