County: Limerick Site name: BALLYMACKEOGH-MULKEAR CERTIFIED DRAINAGE SCHEME
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 97E0350, incorporating Metal-Detection Licence 97R0030
Author: Tracy Collins, Aegis Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 564258m, N 657743m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.669684, -8.528443
This project was carried out by the engineering services of the OPW and involved the embanking of a portion of the Mulkear River and its tributaries, from its confluence with the River Shannon near Annacotty, Co. Limerick, northward to Newport, Co. Tipperary. The scheme began in May 1997 and continued until December 1998.
During the scheme all bridges were repaired, new sluices were constructed, drains were deepened and widened, the rivers were embanked at places prone to flooding and a stretch of the Newport River was dredged. During this time all the works were monitored by the project archaeologist, who was appointed to the scheme in August 1997.
An Environmental Impact Survey (EIS), which detailed all features of archaeological and cultural heritage significance along the route of the scheme, was carried out in 1996. These included fording points, limekilns, bridges and enclosures. During the scheme the works came close to the EIS sites, but none was negatively affected by it. Several of the sites identified in the EIS document, such as the fords, were found to have been replaced with modern bridges, and none of the limekilns was encountered. An underwater survey of a bridge at Bunkey and a weir at Annacotty, Co. Limerick, was undertaken before their demolition.
The portion of the Newport River that was dredged and embanked during the scheme was monitored, with the spoil being deposited and spread on the banks and metal-detected before being made into embankments.
During the monitoring of the scheme and the metal-detection survey, despite the works being in close proximity to several known archaeological sites, nothing of an archaeological nature was discovered. It was noted during the scheme that a sandstone trough and the upper portion of a rotary quernstone were in the possession of a farmer at Killeenagarriff, Co. Limerick, and were reported to the National Museum of Ireland.
1 Ardara, Fairies Cross, Tralee, Co. Kerry
