County: Mayo Site name: CLAREMORRIS SEWERAGE SCHEME
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0356
Author: Richard Gillespie
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 533889m, N 775378m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.723876, -9.001736
Two excavations were carried out under separate licences as part of this scheme, on three fulachta fiadh at Coolroe (Excavations 1998, 156, 98E0389) and the area adjacent to a Bronze Age settlement site at Leedaun (Excavations 1999, 228, 99E0035). All other works on this scheme were monitored under this licence. This included pipe-laying within the protected areas of three recorded monuments, all enclosures: SMR 101:16 in Lisnaboley and SMR 101:64 and 101:66 in Carrowbeg East. There was nothing of archaeological interest uncovered in this area, and there was no impact on the monuments.
Three small burnt areas were identified in the same field as the excavation at Coolroe and were investigated. Also a levelled fulacht fiadh was uncovered in an adjacent field. This site was preserved intact. Several chert flakes and two flint artefacts were recovered from these areas in Coolroe.
In addition, two possible routes for the pipe were tested at the NCF carpark on Mount Street in the town. This is the location of the workhouse burial-ground, and its limits were not certain. One definite burial was identified in situ, so the preferred route for the pipe was abandoned and the alternative route was chosen as it was free of burials.
One additional stray find, a gunflint, was recovered from Claremorris town.
Westport Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
