County: Westmeath Site name: BALLYNAFID
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1430
Author: Grace Fegan, for Valerie J. Keeley Ltd.
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 639745m, N 761565m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.602431, -7.399495
Monitoring of topsoil-stripping was carried out on behalf of Iarnród Éireann during the elimination of the current level crossings and the construction of a roadway providing agricultural access to an existing underpass.
The investigations involved the machine-assisted excavation of trenches at two sensitive locations along the route. The first was near SMR 12:84, a ringfort, and the second was on the site of another ringfort, SMR 12:85, which was not visible above ground.
No features of archaeological significance were uncovered during these investigations. However, owing to extremely dry weather at least one month before and during the investigation, the second enclosure was visible as a faint cropmark immediately west of its recorded location.
After further discussions between Iarnród Éireann and the landowner, the location of the proposed access road was reconsidered, and it was relocated in October 2002. The licence for monitoring the further topsoil-stripping at this site was then transferred to Patricia Lynch.
41 The Orchard, Kilkenny
