2003:389 - BALLYSHANNON: Saimer Court, Townparks, Donegal

The site for a three-storey apartment building to the west of Saimer Court Shopping Centre was tested where Christiaan Corlett had previously found nothing of archaeological significance (Excavations 1997, No. 61, 97E0001). The site now slopes gently southwards from the heights of Ballyshannon to the River Erne, which was deepened for the ESB Generating Station at Cathleen's Fall just upriver.

Some years ago the northern end of the site had been cut into by 2m. Hardcore now covers the limestone bedrock, which is close to the surface.

One 56m-long trench was opened. This showed that the whole area had been covered by a recent layer of crushed limestone to a depth of between 0.25 and 0.55m. Beneath this were some thin remnant areas of topsoil over the natural glacial deposits, which were as much as 0.35m thick in places. Beneath this was the limestone bedrock.

Six parallel features, corresponding to the most recent buildings on-site, were encountered, all well south of the works for the proposed building. These were a 0.6m-wide rough limestone wall footing, a 0.5m-wide remnant footing of a rough limestone internal wall, the cut for a deep sewer, a 2m-wide dump of loose stones in water and a 2.6m dump of stone in wet ground under which was a layer of very sticky grey-blue soil. Two sheets of timber were exposed here, 1.2m below the top of the hardcore covering. Three pieces of wood, one possibly oak, were found among the loose stones already pulled out. The timber was secured and will be examined in conjunction with the later application. Nothing was found to indicate a date, though red brick in the soil indicates disturbance in recent centuries.

Bóthar an Chorainn, Keash, Co. Sligo