County: Clare Site name: CLONMONEY WEST
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0024
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 543340m, N 662381m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.709584, -8.838477
The N18/N19 road improvement scheme involves the construction of a new dual carriageway from Ballycasey northwards to Latoon South. A programme of archaeological works was undertaken along the proposed route in advance of construction. This site (AR42) was situated on gently sloping pasture; ground level dropped gently to the south and east and rose gently to the north and west. Long linear banks were clearly visible on the surface and had suffered damage owing to machinery activity in the area.
An area covering 12,300m2 was stripped of topsoil, and a stone enclosure measuring approximately 39m by 20m was exposed. The wall was constructed of quarried blocks of limestone, and in places two base courses survived to a height of 0.3m (OD 33.825–36.16m). The wall was faced internally and externally with large stones, while the cavity between was packed with smaller stones. It averaged 1.5m in width and its maximum length was 38.8m along the northern side. While the wall was standing, a layer of small stones was thrown up against its exterior, possibly the result of field clearance. At some point the upper courses of the wall collapsed, possibly as a result of ploughing, and this collapse covered the wall foundations. It had the same extent as the underlying wall but its width ranged between 1.5m and 3m.
No archaeological features were identified within the enclosure, but an area of oxidised clay with charcoal flecks was evident beneath the wall tumble. Three other spreads indicative of burning were identified outside the enclosure. The finds recovered from this site came from the interior of the enclosure and relate to both industrial and domestic activities. They included post-medieval pottery sherds, tile, slate, brick, fragments of clay pipes, glass bottle fragments, a copper-alloy thimble, corroded iron fragments, iron nails and fragments of metal slag. It can be concluded that the site was a post-medieval farmstead, probably with occupation in the interior, although no structural evidence survives to support this. Further topsoil-stripping in the adjacent areas failed to identify any further archaeological deposits.
15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth
