County: Mayo Site name: CASTLEGAR
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0072
Author: Paula King
Site type: Mound
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 535444m, N 776451m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.733710, -8.978406
This site was identified by Gerry Walsh during the assessment of the route of the Knock-Claremorris Bypass as being of possible archaeological significance. It consists of a mound that measures 17.75m north-south by 14.35m. It reaches a height of 0.73m above the surrounding ground surface.
The route of the proposed road encroached on the eastern edge of the mound. Testing, followed by excavation, incorporated an area of 17m east-west by 12.5m at the eastern side of the site. The remaining part of the mound was not investigated. All testing and excavation were carried out by hand. The investigation identified but did not remove features of possible archaeological significance, as they were not affected by the development.
The excavation revealed modern features and ones of possible archaeological significance. The modern features were a series of furrows and a later stone feature, possibly a robbed-out wall. Part of a kerb-like curved line of large stones at the base of the mound at the western edge of the excavation area is of possible archaeological significance. Seven large stones ranging in size from 0.3m by 0.3m to 0.5m by 0.8m were exposed and recorded. The remains indicated that the stones continued outside the excavation area. It was not possible to arrive at a definitive interpretation of the feature. Artefacts retrieved by the excavation included several pieces of worked chert and chert debitage from disturbed contexts.
The investigation indicated that the mound is a site of probable archaeological significance.
Westport Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
