County: Clare Site name: SIXMILEBRIDGE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 52:16 Licence number: 99E0118
Author: Laurence Dunne, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 547231m, N 665483m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.737858, -8.781397
The grant of planning permission for the construction of forty houses in Sixmilebridge was subject to two archaeological conditions, one of which stipulated monitoring of all ground disturbance. This was due to the site being partly within the town's zone of archaeological potential and also to the size of the development. The 5-acre development site is in the north-west of Sixmilebridge townland, just north of the town. It lies on undulating ground, which slopes dramatically from west to east towards the Owenagarney River and commands extensive views of the surrounding terrain. Sixmilebridge developed as an important medieval crossing-point of the Owenagarney River, which led to its growth as an important trading town.
Topsoil-stripping for raft foundations for the houses was monitored, in addition to roads and services. Topsoil was excavated by machine to a depth of between 0.1m and 0.5m. It was quite shallow in both the south-west and central area of the development site because of the high level of the underlying limestone bedrock. The underlying stratum was a light yellow/brown, silty clay subsoil, with occasional pockets of leached soil, indicating the occurrence of iron-panning.
A possible archaeological artefact was identified in a mound of rubble in the vicinity of the site entrance. A large, fractured sandstone was discovered with a centrally located circular hollow. This may represent the remains of a bullaun stone. It lay on ground recently disturbed to accommodate the erection of an ESB pole.
No stratigraphy of an archaeological nature was identified during the ground disturbance activities.
3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry
