County: Westmeath Site name: GORTMORE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 16:33 Licence number: 01E1223
Author: Bernard Guinan
Site type: Barrow - mound barrow
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 617350m, N 751079m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.509412, -7.738434
Monitoring of groundworks associated with the construction of a dwelling-house and septic tank in the townland of Gortmore, Drumraney, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, was undertaken on 19 January and 16 February 2002. All groundworks associated with this development were monitored; no groundworks took place within the protected area of the barrow.
The development site was in a large area, c. 0.949ha, of flat, well-drained pastureland. The house foundations and septic tank were at the south-western part of the site, farthest from the monument. At its closest, the north-eastern boundary of the development site was 25m from the centre of the barrow. This section of the development will remain as undisturbed pastureland.
Topsoil consisted of a mid-brown matrix with occasional limestone inclusions, c. 0.25m deep. An orange/brown subsoil, 0.4–0.75m deep, overlay a natural, grey, compacted gravel composed of small stones in a sandy matrix. No features or finds of an archaeological nature were uncovered.
A previously unrecorded possible barrow was discovered on land adjoining the development site. This was a low oval mound, c. 0.25m high. It measured c. 7m north-east/south-west by c. 5m and was close to two recorded barrows, SMR 16:32 and 16:33.
Editor’s note: This summary was mistakenly included in the bulletin for 2001.
Coosan, Athlone, Co. Westmeath
