2002:1056 - MANORHAMILTON, Leitrim

The site of the proposed development is on the top of a hill overlooking the town of Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. It will consist of an addition to the national school, which is in the south-west corner of a well-preserved star-shaped fort. Two test-trenches, measuring 10m by 1.3m, were excavated by hand, after the sod had been removed by a mini-digger using a toothless bucket. Two potential archaeological deposits, probably dump layers, and a stone wall/platform were uncovered during the excavation.

Both trenches were excavated to a depth of 0.9–1m, with slightly differing contexts uncovered in the two. The only definite archaeological feature uncovered was a low stone wall/platform that appears to be part of the original construction of the fort. This was at the northern end of Trench 1 and did not extend westward into Trench 2. If it was a continuous linear construction running along the inside of the walls of the fort as some form of battlement, it should have continued into Trench 2. Although it may have been dismantled at some time in the past, it is equally possible that the platform was confined to the corner of the turret, and it may have been constructed as a gun platform. Two other potential archaeological contexts were dump layers found in both trenches, abutting the wall in Trench 1. Both layers had small amounts of charcoal and animal bone, in addition to a few small fragments of pottery that may be post-medieval, 18th-century at the latest. As the archaeological nature of these deposits could not be definitely established, they were excavated by hand in both trenches. Only a few possible ceramic finds were retrieved, and no other archaeological features were revealed.

Cloonfad Cottage, Cloonfad, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim