Survey Data
Reg No
40909106
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Technical
Original Use
Bridge
In Use As
Bridge
Date
1800 - 1840
Coordinates
173706, 383066
Date Recorded
14/12/2007
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Double-arched bridge carrying road over the Roechrow River, built c. 1820, having cut stone V-profile cutwater to central pier. Segmental-headed arches having dressed stone voussoirs; rubble stone construction to arch barrels. Uncoursed rubble stone construction to spandrels and abutments, rubble stone construction to parapets with random rubble coping over. Tarmacadam deck with grass verges. Located in the rural landscape to the north/north-east of Killybegs.
Appraisal
This picturesque rustic bridge retains much of its early character, and is an appealing feature in the desolate rural landscape to the north/north-east of Killybegs. It is robustly-constructed in local rubble stone masonry, and its continued survival and use stands as testament to the quality of its original construction, and of the skill of the masons involved. This bridge is distinguished by the good-quality dressed voussoirs to the arches and the stonework to the central cutwater, and these features help to elevate this structure above many of its contemporaries in rural Donegal. This bridge probably originally dates to the late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century, a period that saw a great deal of road and bridge-building throughout Ireland, particularly by the Grand Juries (the forerunners of the County Councils). This bridge is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area, and forms part of the extensive transport heritage of Donegal.