2026:225 - N52 Road, Riverstown, Ballindarra, Offaly
County: Offaly
Site name: N52 Road, Riverstown, Ballindarra
Sites and Monuments Record No.: OF035-021001
Licence number: 26E0293
Author: Martin E. Byrne
Author/Organisation Address: Byrne Mullins & Associates, 7 Cnoc na Greine Square, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare
Site type: Environs of castle bawn
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 605284m, N 203565m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 48.587273, -7.928363
A programme of Archaeological Monitoring of the foundation trench excavations associated with the installation of a replacement Electricity Transmission Pole was undertaken at Birr Road (N52), Riverstown (Ballindara Td), Co. Offaly. The pole was located within the RMP Zone and SMR Zone of Notification established with respect to a Castle – tower house (SMR No: OF035-021) and bawn (SMR No: OF035-021001). Today a modern bungalow stands inside the area of the bawn of the levelled O’Carroll castle (OF035-021), which stood on the eastern bank of the Little Brosna River, controlling the fording point and access into Ely O’Carroll (Éile). There are no surface remains visible of this castle. The walls of the castle collapsed in 1848 and the stone was probably taken away as building material for the houses of the surrounding region; a short section of the upstanding wall, running parallel to the eastern bank of the river, may belong to the original bawn wall (OF035-021001).
S12 (3) Notification of the works was submitted to the National Monuments Service, who recommended that all ground disturbance associated with the works be monitored by an archaeologist and under licence from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
In general, the excavations revealed layers of topsoil and subsoil overlying bedrock, the surface of which was at 0.58m below existing ground surface level.
No subsurface features of archaeological interest or potential were uncovered by the excavations; likewise, no artefacts of archaeological or historical interest were recovered.