County: Mayo Site name: DEERPARK EAST I
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0562
Author: Richard Gillespie
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 499714m, N 785312m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.807665, -9.522634
These sites were discovered during topsoil removal for the Westport Main Drainage and Waste Water Disposal Scheme. They were uncovered within a 90m long by 8–10m wide stretch of the way-leave. Loose heat-fractured sandstone and some charcoal were present across the entire area. Preliminary cleaning back by hand identified four possible areas of interest.
Area 1 consisted of a horseshoe-shaped burnt spread, 7m by 5m and 0.12m thick. After the mound was removed, a circular pit and the remains of an oval trough with a wood lining were identified. The pit had a diameter of 1m and a depth of 0.16m. The wood-lined trough measured 1.6m by 0.96m and was 0.32–0.38m deep. Thirty-six timbers were identified in this trough. Some of them had well-preserved cut ends with very clear axe-marks. However, the overall state of preservation was quite poor.
Area 2 consisted of an oval burnt spread, 7m by 6m and 0.15m thick. It overlay a simple oval trough/boiling-pit, 1.2m by 1m and 0.24m deep. There was no evidence of lining in this trough.
Area 3, after a preliminary cleaning, proved not to be of archaeological interest. Some ground disturbance took place here at an indeterminate time.
Area 4 was irregular in plan and measured 5m by 6m. It consisted of a mound of burnt stone and charcoal with modern finds throughout the deposit. It was cut and very disturbed by a modern drain. The truncated remains of a possible trough were noted below this disturbed mound.
Westport Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
