1996:300 - GORTEENDRUNAGH, Mayo

The Architectural Section of the Office of Public Works, Dublin, had proposed the construction of a link road at the northern end of Davitt House, Castlebar. This proposed roadway was adjacent to an archaeological site and its northern end would cut through an elongated mound abutting the archaeological site. As a result a programme of pre-development testing was carried out along the proposed roadway to ascertain the archaeological importance, if any, of the elongated mound.

The site is marked with hachures as a circular enclosure, probably a ringfort, on the first-edition (1838) OS 6" sheet. On the second edition (1919) the site is marked as a circular enclosure/tree ring, without the hachures.

The site is, however, of archaeological importance. It does not resemble a circular enclosure of the ringfort variety. The monument has more than likely been interfered with over the years and this may account for its present condition.

Rather than being circular, as depicted on the OS maps, the site is an elongated oval shape. It runs in a north-south direction and measures 83.5m in length. The southern end (oval area within the Davitt House property) represents the circular enclosure depicted on the OS maps, while the elongated area of the site runs immediately northwards outside the Davitt House property.

The modern timber-post fence which runs east/west across the site divides the Davitt House property from the field to the north, and also separates the oval area of the site from the elongated area.

The entire site is elevated above the surrounding field and could be described as a mound (burial site) rather than an enclosure (habitation site). The mound is highest (3m) at the southern end within the Davitt House property and slopes gradually northwards down to 1.5m high at its northern end (a point 50m north of the fence).

The oval area south of the fence and within the Davitt House property is 33.5m long (north-south), 45m wide (east-west) and up to 3m high. It is partially overgrown and a number of mature trees are growing on the mound. A few hollows in the mound may be due to recent disturbance or infilling.

While the elongated area outside the Davitt House property looks artificial, it may not be of archaeological importance but rather the result of relatively recent field clearance. The elongated section of the site runs from the fence northwards for a distance of 50m, is 42m wide (max.) and 1.5–2m high. On top of the elongated area immediately north of the fence is a crude, curved hollow/drain?, 20m long, 08m wide and 0.5m deep. A number of boulders measuring 0.6m x 0.5m and smaller stones line the edges of this feature, and some of the stones seem to have been dumped into it. The function of this feature is unclear, but it is probably the result of modern field clearance.

Pre-development testing began on 29 January and was completed on 9 February 1996. Three cuttings were excavated through the elongated mound abutting the northern side of the site. Owing to the presence of modern finds within the mound it was obvious from an early stage that the mound was made up of recent dumped material.

The 8m-wide corridor of the proposed roadway was also tested. The stratigraphy on the western side of the roadway consisted of a mid-brown topsoil, 0.5m thick, which lay directly on the natural orange boulder clay. The stratigraphy on the eastern side was similar to that on the western side. During the testing of the north-eastern portion of the roadway an area of burnt stone and charcoal was uncovered.

Cutting 4 was located within the proposed road corridor. The depth of stratigraphy from the field level to the natural was only 0.15m deep. Within the cutting five areas of burnt stone with charcoal were uncovered. One of these turned out to be the remains of a rectangular trough from a levelled fulacht fiadh of probable Bronze Age date.

Context 13 was a dark brown soil layer with burnt stone and charcoal. It measured 3.6m east/west by 2.5m north/south and was up to 0.06m thick. It spread south-east from the south-east corner of the trough and produced some unworked flint and chert stones.

Contexts 14, 15 and 21 were similar to C13 but did not spread over such a large area. Contexts 13, 14, 15 and 21 all overlay a very thin grey ash layer (C16), 0.03m thick, which produced a piece of quartz and flint.

Underlying C16, 1.5m east of the trough, was a 2.3m-long, shallow linear feature (C18) which contained a charcoal-rich soil. It was up to 0.05m wide and ran in an northeast/south-west direction. A similar feature to C18, C20, 1.25m long, ran east from the south-east corner of the trough.

A narrow, stone-filled drain, which ran roughly east-west across the northern part of Cutting 4, cut through C16 and is probably a relatively recent field drain.

The trough
The rectangular trough measured 2.22m east-west by 1.2m north-south, and was cut up to 0.3m into the natural white/yellow to grey daub. The northern and southern sides of the trough were slightly curved. The upper fill of the trough on the western side consisted of a grey-brown soil 0.1 m thick. The main fill, a layer of burnt stone and charcoal up to 0.3m thick which was evident on the eastern side of the trough, also underlay the grey brown soil.

Underlying the main trough fill was a charcoal-rich soil and burnt stone mix, 0.2m thick, which was located around the perimeter and bottom western half of the trough. It was absent from the north, south and east of the centre sides of the trough.

Underlying this mix at the base of the west end of the trough was a grey silty clay 0.12m thick. It lay directly on the natural white/yellow to grey daub. Running east-west along the long axis of the bottom of the trough under the mix but above the clay was a pair of shallow, linear, charcoal-rich features. One was 2.2m long and up to 0.5m wide, while the other was 1.6m long by 0.17m wide. These may represent the remains of some form of wooden lining at the bottom of the trough.

Conclusion
It is clear from the testing that the elongated mound abutting SMR 78:26 is of no archaeological importance. Likewise, the entire corridor of the proposed roadway has now been archaeologically resolved and its construction will have no effect on the adjacent monument. In fact the proposed link road will encircle the monument and ensure its future safety as it will be located completely in state property.

Rathbawn Rd, Castlebar, Co. Mayo