County: Sligo Site name: BALLINCAR
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0139
Author: Richard Crumlish, Archaeological Services Unit Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 567308m, N 838812m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.297032, -8.502204
Monitoring of topsoil-stripping along a 640m stretch of proposed roadway, part of the realignment of the R291 Sligo–Rosses Point road, was carried out between 27 and 29 March 2000. This section of the roadway is c. 3 miles east of Rosses Point, in the townland of Ballincar. Monitoring of topsoil-stripping along two further adjoining sections of the R291 to the north-west, which took place in 1998 (Excavations 1998, 180, 98E0390) and 1999 (Excavations 1999, 272, 99E0529), produced no archaeological evidence. Testing within this section of the R291 realignment, which was near a ringfort (SMR 14:14), took place late in 1999 (Excavations 1999, 272–3, 99E0656). The area excavated within this section for the proposed realignment was 640m long and 9–23m wide. The existing road crossed the route of the realignment near its south-eastern end, and a stream crossed the route further to the north-west.
The removal of topsoil revealed natural, undisturbed stratigraphy over the vast majority of the route’s length, i.e. for the first 180m from the north-western end, and between 210m and the south-eastern end. Modern artefacts were recovered from the topsoil, as well as a number of blackware sherds. A dried-up gully, field drain and stone culvert crossed the road corridor between 470m and 600m along the route. The last 15m consisted of a tarred road leading to a number of new houses located to the south-west.
Between 180m and 210m along the route the stratigraphy consisted of topsoil, above grey, stony marl/boulder clay. Here, some 5m south-east of a stream, at the base of a steep slope and c. 30m west of the ringfort, a burnt spread was uncovered. It was ovoid in plan and measured 2.2m east–west by 1.6m (max.). Visible within the spread were heat-fractured stones. Just 4.5m south-east of this feature was a second burnt spread extending from the north-eastern edge of the road corridor for 5.5m in a north-north-east/south-south-west direction and then turning north-north-west/south-south-east for a further 11–12m. It was 1–2m wide and was located on the steep slope at c. 20m from the ringfort. Immediately to the south-east of this burnt spread, and following its arced path, was a ditch 16m long and 1.5–1.7m wide. It was filled with grey/brown, friable soil with frequent small rocks.
These features required further investigation and were excavated later in the year under licence 00E0307 (see Excavations 2000, No. 869). The field drains, culvert and dried-up gully would appear to have been modern features.
Purcell House, Oranmore, Co. Galway
