County: Donegal Site name: CARRICKMAQUIGLEY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0017
Author: Richard Crumlish, Archaeological Services Unit Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 653232m, N 937682m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.183546, -7.164186
Work carried out on 21 January 2000 involved the test excavation of a site, at Carrickmaquigley, Redcastle, Co. Donegal, in advance of its development. The site is located within the constraint of a recorded monument (SMR 31:3), a castle site, and was situated adjacent to the Redcastle Hotel, at its west-south-west end, on a south-south-east-facing slope on the shores of Lough Foyle.
Three trial-trenches were excavated by machine. Trench A, located along the east-north-east end of the proposed development area, 4.2–6m from the existing building, measured 14.5m x 1.1–1.6m and 0.1–1.3m in depth. Trench B, located through the centre of the proposed development, 12.5m from the existing building, measured 13.5m x 1–1.8m and 0.1–1.2m in depth. Trench C, located along the north-north-west end of the proposed development, measured 17.4m x 1.1–1.3m and 0.8–2.15m in depth. Only surface bedrock and topsoil over bedrock were noted in Trenches A and B. The stratigraphy in Trench C consisted of topsoil, 0.15–0.25m in thickness, below which was backfill, 0.15–1.6m in thickness. Below the backfill was natural subsoil, 0.2–0.5m in thickness, above bedrock, as high as 0.8m below the surface.
Only modern artefacts were recovered from the testing. This site appears to have been excavated in recent years and partially backfilled, along its north-north-west end.
Purcell House, Oranmore, Co. Galway
