County: Westmeath Site name: SHUROCK
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 30:76 Licence number: 02E1731
Author: John Channing
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 630471m, N 742863m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.434989, -7.541428
The line of the proposed relief water-supply pipeline from Ballymore to Moate, Co. Westmeath, ran close to the eastern edge of an enclosure. There was no evidence of an associated ditch, and a distinct break in slope between the eastern side of the site and the western edge of the roadside embankment indicated that the existing road may have avoided the main site. The site consisted of a flat-topped rise in ground that appeared oval in plan. The surrounding landscape contained several small drumlins, and it is likely that the site originated as a natural glacial feature and was adapted for human use. The site did not exhibit a stone facing, but the visible stones ran in linear alignments characteristic of low, drystone field boundaries. The ground to the south of the site was scarred by small-scale quarry activity; some of these hollows pre-dated the drystone walling running along the western boundary of the existing road. The line of the pipe was relocated to the eastern side of the road, away from the enclosure.
A single cutting was excavated in the area of potential, in the footprint of the proposed pipeline cut. Testing and subsequent monitoring did not reveal any finds or features of archaeological significance.
17 Rowan House, Sussex Road, Dublin 4
