County: Donegal Site name: CULDAFF
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 5:12 Licence number: 99E0083
Author: Richard Crumlish, Archaeological Services Unit Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 646416m, N 945003m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.250000, -7.270000
Pre-development testing was carried out on 23 February 1999 in response to a condition of planning for a house extension to the north-east of an existing building at the south-east end of Culdaff village, on the Inishowen peninsula, Co. Donegal. On arrival on site, it was discovered that the foundations for the proposed development had already been excavated but were still open. Culdaff is the site of an early ecclesiastical site founded by St Buadan. No extant remains survive; however, a small graveyard called 'Ardmore graveyard', a short distance west-north-west of the development, may be part of the ecclesiastical site. The buildings adjacent to the development were constructed during the 20th century.
Eleven foundation trenches were excavated by machine before this writer's arrival on site. They were 1.83–12.19m long, 0.9–1.4m wide and 1–1.4m deep. The stratigraphy revealed was the same over the entire area: topsoil mixed with fill, lying directly above bedrock. The bedrock was located at 0.9–1.4m below the surface. The only exception was the presence of the foundation of a recently demolished one-storey building in two of the trenches. This foundation was 0.3–0.4m wide and 0.5m thick.
The trenches revealed nothing of archaeological significance. The topsoil/fill contained large quantities of ashes, modern pottery sherds including whiteware, and modern bottles. This site consisted of a backyard/garden that had been backfilled over the past 60–70 years with modern rubbish.
Purcell House, Oranmore, Co. Galway
