County: Fermanagh Site name: CUSHWASH RATH, Cushwash
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 246:13 Licence number: AE/00/03
Author: Stephen Gilmore, NAC
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 637053m, N 833265m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.246893, -7.431478
In early February, archaeological mitigation was carried out at this site in advance of the erection of a Vodafone mast. Monitoring of excavation works was required owing to the close proximity of an archaeological site. The site lay at the crest of a drumlin on the north-east outskirts of Lisnaskea, at about 60m OD. There were excellent views to the south and east. It lay less than 60m to the north-east of a rath (SMR 34:17), which had been used as a cattle enclosure in the past and was very badly preserved. The access track to the mast location ran round the north-east side of the rath. Any alteration to this track might have impinged upon archaeology.
On 7 February 2000 the excavation for the platform took place, using a machine with a flat bucket. The topsoil was less than 0.25m in thickness. No archaeology was uncovered on its removal. The subsoil was sandy, orange-yellow clay cut only by a narrow modern field drain. There was no archaeology present on the site.
Unit 6, Farset Enterprise Park, 638 Springfield Road, Belfast
