County: Sligo Site name: FARRANYHARPY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 19:8 Licence number: 96E0239
Author: Martin A. Timoney
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 551861m, N 832605m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.240046, -8.738479
Sligo County Council Planning Office, taking advice from the OPW, required that the site for a house at Farranyharpy be trial-trenched owing to the density of archaeology in the area. Sheen Early Christian and medieval monastic site is 400m to the east and there are a number of ringforts close by; part of the proposed development area is within the boxed-off designated area on the Record of Monuments and Places.
Prior to excavation the field was thoroughly examined when it was under long grass, again after it was cut very low for silage, and later when under a fresh growth of grass. At none of these stages was there any indication by way of crop-mark or ground undulation of any archaeological feature. The field was flown over by helicopter in August 1996 and again there was no indication of archaeological remains. It was clear from the digging of the postholes for a fence that bedrock was not far below the ground surface.
Two long trenches were excavated at right angles to each other. One, east-west, was 26m by 1.5m, and the other, north-south, was 55m by 1.5m. The latter ran from close to the old road through Sheen down the slope of the site. Three further areas, each at least 2m by 1.5m, were excavated. Thus over 130m2 were excavated. Nothing whatsoever of an archaeological nature was found.
Keash, Co. Sligo
