County: Sligo Site name: CALTRAGH (Sites 4 and 5)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0815
Author: Sébastien Joubert
Site type: Habitation site
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 569039m, N 834820m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.261267, -8.475208
Part of a Neolithic site (Site 5) was excavated between 1 August and 25 October 2000 within the pipeline corridor for the Caltragh Sewerage Scheme. The known dimensions of the site were c. 100m east–west by 10m (width of the corridor).
The initial results from the excavation would appear to indicate a Neolithic date for the site. Some archaeological structures and habitation layers were revealed. Sherds of possible Neolithic pottery and stone tools were also uncovered. The site was preliminarily interpreted as a debitage site. A large series of pits was excavated; chert flakes were uncovered; and a possible working surface was exposed. This surface was made up of compacted small and medium-sized rounded and sub-angular stones.
On the west, the remains of a disturbed fulacht fiadh (Site 4) were also exposed, measuring c. 28m by 17m by 0.25m in depth. A pit, identified as a possible trough dug into compact, sandy clay, was excavated. The burnt mound also overlay a series of features and pits, which were associated with the Neolithic site.
The extent of the site remained unknown, as it ran north and south under the limits of the corridor.
Seamount, Upper Rosses, Rosses Point, Co. Sligo
