County: Mayo Site name: WESTPORT-BELCLARE, Road Realignment Scheme
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 97E0417
Author: Martin E. Byrne
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 495879m, N 782618m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.782712, -9.579918
The R335 road runs west from Westport to Louisburgh, and one section runs past Westport Harbour to Belclare. This section has been recently downgraded from regional road status in favour of a road, known locally as the ‘west road’, which runs from the N59 (Westport–Leenaun) to Belclare. This road is presently being upgraded and it was recommended to Mayo County Council that an archaeologist be employed to monitor, under licence, all appropriate groundworks associated with the project.
Monitoring was undertaken at various dates from October to December and was confined to a c. 0.5km stretch of road running east from the western side of Carrownalurgan Bridge. All topsoil-stripping, rerouting of services and works associated with the widening of the bridge were monitored. The topsoil consisted of a brown silty clay which had an average thickness of 235mm and lay directly upon the ‘natural’ subsoil, the only previous disturbance to which had been as a result of the laying of services to existing houses and farms. Groundworks along the northern side of the road were confined to a corridor 2–12m wide, and along the southern side in a 3–18m-wide area. No features or finds of archaeological interest were uncovered during the course of this work.
Further monitoring in respect of the scheme will be carried out during 1998.
39 Kerdiff Park, Monread, Naas, Co. Kildare
