County: Mayo Site name: BALLINROBE: Neale Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0806
Author: Richard Crumlish
Site type: Designed landscape feature
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 519110m, N 763881m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.618498, -9.222633
Monitoring of topsoil-stripping at a housing development at Neale Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo, was carried out on 4 and 5 June 2002. The development consisted of the construction of fourteen dwellings with ancillary services and was within the constraint area for Ballinrobe town, SMR 118:22. The site was in a field at the south end of the town. Immediately to the west-north-west was Cranmore House, in ruins.
The area measured 30–95m north–south by 52–86m and was stripped to a depth of 0.15–0.4m. Not all topsoil was removed, as it averaged 0.25–0.3m thick. Where it was fully removed, it exposed orange/brown friable subsoil. The single feature uncovered was six paths, 1.5–2m wide, constructed of stone rubble, including red-brick and slate fragments. Four of these were parallel to the four boundaries, at a short distance inside them. The two remaining paths cut the field into quarters. All six paths intersected at some point. The paths are shown on the relevant 6-inch and 25-inch OS maps. They formed part of a garden/orchard that was attached to Cranmore House. The paths were retained below the development, which required the filling up of the site to 1–2.2m above the existing ground level. Finds from the topsoil were all modern.
61 An Cladrach, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo
