placenamesRaphoe
Ráth Bhoth
Oakfield Demesne connects an eighteenth-century church residence with later restoration and a substantial modern sculpture.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Ráth Bhoth · Irish · main form
- Raphoe · English · main form
Place & story
A deanery and a restored estate
Oakfield was built in 1739 for the Dean of Raphoe. The estate’s history dates its sale to Thomas Butler Stoney to 1869; the Landed Estates survey independently records its earlier lease from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Gerry and Heather Robinson acquired Oakfield in 1996 and undertook major restoration. The work retained surviving internal timberwork where possible. The grounds also preserve a restored hydraulic ram pump installed in 1864 to raise water towards the house. [2] [3]
Locky Morris’s Longsleeper
The Longsleeper was unveiled at Oakfield in spring 2015. Designed by Locky Morris and commissioned by the Robinsons, it uses seventeen tons of oak on a spiral mound. Its name and form draw on the railway sleeper, linking the sculpture with the estate’s miniature railway. Changing views from the train are part of its setting. A sightline also aligns the work with the house, giving a modern artwork a deliberate relationship with the older estate. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Raphoe. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- History of Oakfield Park · Oakfield Park
- Oakfield House, property5232 · University of Galway, Landed Estates
- The Longsleeper at Oakfield Park · Oakfield Park
- Oakfield House near Raphoe, County Donegal, as photographed in June 2010 illustration: based on a Oakfield House: Raphoe by louise price. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2024-05-09. How this page was prepared.