2025:368 - Ballincar, Sligo

A 15m buffer zone was in place around Earthwork SL014-008, located at the southeast of Field 1 and the east side of Field 4.  A total of 31 test trenches were excavated across 5 fields (Field 1-5). Each trench measured 1.8m in width, and in total, 1802m of linear trenches were excavated. The topsoil was mainly a brownish-orange sandy clay. The natural varied from a mottled orange and dark brown with cream clayey gravel to a gravel-and-sand mixture to an orange clay. Large boulders were frequent in places, and there was a high concentration of decayed stone. One archaeological feature, ditch C1301, was identified in Trench 13. Ditch C1301 was aligned northwest-to-southeast with a width of 1.82m. It was filled with a brownish-grey sandy clay with occasional charcoal flecks. C1301 was likely associated with enclosure SL014—0089. Several other linear features related to modern agricultural practices were recorded, including drains, furrows, and field ditches.   Apart from Trench 13, no other archaeological features or deposits were observed or exposed within the other trenches.