Old roads

JJayoo · 10-03-2025 05:50PM #1

Have a few of these on the land heading up the hill, have always been told they were roads tho now they are basically wide shallow drains while the ground on both sides is dry

Would the 'road' have been built up with branches and then that was the track?

PXL_20250310_164608864.MP.jpg

magicbastarder · 10-03-2025 05:51PM

do they show up on the old OSI maps?

slowburner · 10-03-2025 07:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058401799/old-roads

Because they are on a hillside, I think it's more likely that the topsoil/sod/scraw and stones were dug and thrown up to the side to form the banks. The technique of creating trackways with branches (tóchars) was a solution to the problems presented by wetland areas or bogs.
Where were they going to and why are possibly more interesting questions.

standardg60 · 10-03-2025 07:32PM

I'd say they are more likely drains to direct run off than roads

slowburner · 10-03-2025 07:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251661#Comment_123251661

Far too wide for drains. They are tracks for a horse and cart or horse and slipe

JJayoo · 10-03-2025 09:17PM

I will take some pics of the other ones tomorrow, like currently they are the wettest part of the field so not sure how a poor animal would drag a cart up them without getting stuck

JJayoo · 14-03-2025 08:45PM

Some pics of a different track

slowburner · 15-03-2025 06:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251931#Comment_123251931

True, but it would be easy to drag materials down.

Stone and turf were often exploited on hilltops and the resources were transported downhill by animals pulling a slipe. A slipe was a simple cart suspended on two boards - a bit like a sledge (see attached image). As you can imagine, wheels would be a hindrance on boggy ground but slipes enabled the transport of substantial loads across and down wet ground. Is there something up there that would be worth gathering? Turf or stone maybe?

Old roads

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