County: Donegal Site name: DONEGAL: The Diamond/Castle Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0232
Author: Richard Crumlish
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 592862m, N 878397m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.653702, -8.110611
Pre-development testing at the site of a proposed commercial development was carried out on 27 February 2003 at The Diamond/Castle Street, Donegal. The proposed development was located within the zone of archaeological potential for Donegal (SMR 93:13), to the rear of the Four Masters book shop and accessible off Castle Street.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of five trenches, which measured 49m, 7.9m, 8.9m, 16.5m and 7.6m long respectively, 1–1.5m wide and 0.4–1.6m deep. The stratigraphy consisted of hardcore and backfill, above rubble fill and topsoil. Below the rubble fill and topsoil were brown firm silt loam, grey/brown friable sandy silt loam and bedrock. The rubble fill, backfill and topsoil contained modern artefacts. The brown firm silt loam and grey/brown friable sandy silt loam were sterile natural subsoils.
The testing revealed evidence of modern (20th-century) activity only. A major fire on this site within the last twenty years resulted in the rebuilding of the premises. This accounted for the depth of hardcore and the presence of rubble fill all over the site.
61 An Cladrach, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo
