2001:901 - CORBALLY/ROCKFIELD/MAGHERABOY/CLOONDACE/DERRAGH/EDEN/SHANAGHMOYLE/SHANVAGHERA/MEELTRAN, Mayo

Monitoring of topsoil removal took place on the route of phase II of the Knock–Claremorris Bypass. This portion of the bypass was a 10km-long corridor extending from the north-east end of phase I of this route (Excavations 1999, No. 663, 98E0304). It runs north-north-east and north-east through the above townlands and bypasses Knock to the north-west of the town. The area stripped of topsoil ranged in width from 30m to 80m; it passes through agricultural land and some bog. The topography is characterised by undulating hollows and hills; as the route progresses towards the north-north-east end these undulations become steeper and more pronounced. At the south-south-western half of the route the land is a light dry clay with pronounced evidence of tillage (potato-growing and compulsory tillage during World War II). Topsoil depth ranges from 0.2m to 0.6m. In the mid-section of the route in the townlands of Magheraboy, Ballyfarnagh and Ballyhowley there are a few patches of fairly shallow bog, no more than 1m deep. In the north-north-east third of the route bog becomes more common and includes deep sections of peat concentrated on deep undulations in the boulder clay; these reach a maximum depth of over 5m. They are short pockets (50–250m in length) centred on deep hollows created by the undulating nature of the landscape.

All preliminary testing of the route was carried out under licences 00E0052–57 (Excavations 2000, Nos 723, 734, 735, 724, 738 and 729). Further suspected sites were tested under licence nos 00E0590, 00E0591, 00E0593 (Excavations 2000, Nos 736, 737 and 725) and 01E0147 (see No. 893, Excavations 2001). A portion of a ringfort on the route at Rockfield was excavated under licence no. 01E0659 (see No. 924, Excavations 2001). Two sites identified during monitoring, both burnt mounds, were excavated under licence nos 01E0493 and 01E0315 (Nos 899 and 908). A number of smaller areas of archaeological interest were also identified; these included disturbed or truncated areas of burnt stone, an isolated boiling-pit where the burnt mound no longer survived, a limekiln, some pits near the ringfort at Rockfield, and some burnt patches and stone sockets which turned out to be non-archaeological. All of these were investigated as part of monitoring.

The route was stripped of topsoil a year before construction began, partly to facilitate advance archaeological work, but deep bog was left in situ as the budget for these preliminary works did not cover fill for these areas; the licence was therefore renewed in 2001 to cover monitoring of the remaining bogs during construction.

‘Thornhill’, Ballyhaunis Road, Claremorris, Co. Mayo