Neolithic and Bronze Age Landscapes of North Mayo: Report 2011

River form the boundary, with Glenamoy village delimiting the maximum East extent of the survey.
The region is delimited on the S by the North shore of Carrowmore Lake, a large expanse of water,
6kms long (N-S) and 4kms wide along its North shore, tapering to 1.5kms wide along its S shore.
Some prehistoric monuments were known within the peninsula prior to the present survey. A total
of 14 megalithic tombs were recorded, 7 of which are listed by de Valera and O’Nuallain (1964). Five
others have been published by Aldridge (1961, 1965), while the remaining 2 were discovered in the
course of the 1979 reconnaissance fieldwork. Three cists are listed in the National Museum of
Ireland topographical files and a stone circle, on the North end of the peninsula, has been published
by Westropp (1912, 130-2).
Convex-shaped hills form the most striking topographical features over the peninsula. Five such hills
exist, namely, Carrowmore hill (200 ft +), Faulagh hill (500 ft +), Pollatomish hill (348 ft),
Knocklalower hill (616 ft) with its W shoulder known locally as Gortmelia hill (400 ft +) and
Dooncarton hill (875 ft)/. The latter displays numerous shoulders and 3 individual peaks in excess of
800 ft. In general the slopes and summits of these hills possess a cover of blanket bog, the principal
exception being portions of the uppermost slopes of Dooncarton hill, especially its North slope,
where bedrock outcrops and where slope is sufficiently steep to discourage the development of
blanket bog.
In contrast, the East end of the peninsula is low-lying with deep blanket bog cover. This area forms
the southwest extent of the Glenamoy plain, a large expanse of lowland bounded on the South by
Slieve Fyagh, on the East by Benmore and on the North by the uplands of Glinsk, Knockadaff and
Benwee Head. Narrow strips of low-lying terrain exist along the North end of the peninsula between
Dooncarton hill and the sea and along the North shore of Carrowmore Lake. A wider band of similar
terrain is present along the W edge of the peninsula in the townlands of Graghil, Inver and
Gortmelia.
The drainage pattern of the peninsula is radial, mostly composed of short youthful stretches of
stream. The major river, the Glenamoy, is located at the East edge and drains the plain of the same
name, flowing westwards into Sruwaddacon Bay. The Owenduff River drains the South slopes of
Knocknalower hill, flowing westwards through the Gortbrack valley floor into Inver Bay. The
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