2001:926 - ROSSBEG I, Mayo
County: Mayo
Site name: ROSSBEG I
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 87:75
Licence number: 01E0232
Author: Richard Gillespie
Author/Organisation Address: Westport Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
Site type: Midden
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 497147m, N 783978m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.795181, -9.561148
This site was tested in advance of the Westport Main Drainage and Waste Water Disposal Scheme. It consisted of a low grass-covered area between the road and the seashore and measured 11m by 37m. A thin layer of burnt material was visible in the exposed section. The presence of glass and modern pottery adjacent to this section suggested a relatively recent date.
Hand-testing confirmed that the midden was modern. The only interesting find from this area was a fragment of a 19th-century clay pipe with the word ‘Liberty’ on the bowl. The site was assessed by excavating a 2m by 10m trench by hand, running north-east/south-west across the centre of the site. After consultation with Dúchas, the remainder of the site was excavated by machine.