archaeological & built heritage assessment - The Heritage Council

1 Introduction
Executive Summary
A Pilot Waterways Corridor Study was commissioned by the Heritage Council in 2001 encompassing a
stretch of the Lower Shannon, including the route of the Grand Canal in this region. This pilot study was
undertaken in order to examine, define and recognize opportunities to achieve the potential of the
waterway as a heritage, amenity and tourism resource. As a direct result of this study, two further
assessments have been commissioned by the Heritage Council in partnership with Waterways Ireland and
the relevant county councils, the first of which was completed in December 2003 and encompassed the
area comprising Lanesborough to Shannonbridge, including Lough Ree in its entirety, and a further substudy
including the River Suck from Shannonbridge to Ballinasloe, which also considered the line of the
disused Ballinasloe Canal (formerly part of the Grand Canal navigational route).
This, the second study, at the request of the lead consultants, Colin Buchanan & Partners, has
commissioned John Cronin & Associates to comprehensively examine the archaeological and built
heritage elements of the study area. The area assessed includes the Upper Shannon Navigation to Roosky
and the Boyle River Navigation, which includes Lough Allen, Lough Key and the Carnadoe Waters and
incorporates elements of terrestrial, industrial and underwater archaeology as well as built heritage.
The following report comprises the findings of an intensive desk-based survey as well as field survey of the
area of the waterway and its adjacent lands. For the purpose of the assessment, the large stretch of
waterway has been sub-divided into character units linking all major towns and villages within the study
area. These units are unbiased in terms of cultural heritage and are merely utilized as a geographical
framework for interpreting the evidence.
Aims & Objectives
The brief, as produced by the Heritage Council, Waterways Ireland and both Leitrim and Roscommon
County Councils, defines that the overall aims of the waterway study should centre on the following key
points:
• To identify ways to manage the waterways corridor environment to the benefit of all i.e.
heritage, land and water-based users.
• To improve an understanding of the area, and by this understanding, ensure retention of the
distinctiveness of a place, while allowing for development and evolution of use for the future.
By identifying and assessing all aspects of archaeological and built heritage within a broad distance of 500m
from the banks of the waterway this highlights various elements pertaining to the role in which Lough
Allen, the River Shannon, the Boyle River, Lough Key and the Carnadoe Waters play in terms of
transport, communication, economics, settlement and ritual from prehistoric times to the present day. As
such, knowledge of how these sites and monuments relate to and address the waterway over time is
invaluable in determining the best policies for future evolution of the corridor. This, together with an
integrated consideration of landscape character, natural ecological heritage and patterns of ownership and
settlement as undertaken by other co-consultants in this study, will serve to highlight the significance of
the waterway resource which in turn recommends indicators and future monitoring targets to achieve the
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