County: Donegal Site name: MOUNTAINTOP–ILLISTRIN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1629, 02E1630, 02E1631
Author: Angus Stephenson, AOC Archaeology Group Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 617663m, N 914420m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.977099, -7.724090
Testing was carried out before proposed road-construction works on the N56 Road Realignment Scheme between Mountaintop and Illistrin, Co. Donegal. The proposed works involve the improvement of the existing N56 over a distance of 4–5km, in the townlands of Carnamogach Lower, Carnamogach Upper, Ballaghderg, Fallard or Calhame, Illistrin (sometimes spelt Ellistrin) Little and Coolboy Big. Fieldwork was carried out from 29 October to 13 November 2002, on behalf of Donegal County Council and the National Roads Authority. It is proposed that the road be realigned between Mountaintop, a northern suburb of Letterkenny, at the top of a low mountain ridge at c. 153m OD, and Illistrin Little, at the bottom of the mountain at c. 33m OD. Testing was carried out in twelve fields along the route.
In Field 1 (21745 41523, SMR 53:8, 02E1631) a circular enclosure is shown on the first-edition OS map but does not appear on subsequent editions, and so it is presumed to have been levelled in the interval. The remains of a possible ringfort were found in the form of two wide, truncated ditches in the northern part of the field, with undated occupation remains lying adjacent to the south, probably outside of the former enclosure.
In Field 6 (21735 41575, 02E1630) the first-edition OS map shows several buildings along a winding lane, beside a stream known to have supported historical milling operations. Testing revealed no evidence of these buildings or any other archaeological remains.
No significant archaeological remains were identified in any of the other ten fields tested (02E1629).
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