County: Kildare Site name: BALLYCOWAN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1169
Author: Finn Delany, Dominic Delany & Associates
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 664402m, N 740419m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.409972, -7.031354
Monitoring took place over two weeks from 6 August 2003 in Ballycowan, Co. Kildare. The proposed scheme envisages the development of a greenfield site on the banks of the River Boyne as a gravel-extraction pit. The site is c. 4km south of Clonard along the eastern bank of the Boyne. The proposed gravel pit is to be situated along a high gravel ridge to the east of the flat alluvial plain.
The depth of topsoil varied greatly across the development site. It ranged from 0.6 to 1.4m and was dependent on the topography. The topsoil was thin along high ridges to the west of the site and deep in depressions and troughs. The subsoil was mainly a mid-brown/orange sandy clay with occasional water-rolled rounded and sub-rounded stones. The subsoil gave way to a mixed layer of coarse gravel and grey sand. To the east of the development site, at a point where the ground levels out and becomes part of the alluvial plain, a layer of dark-brown/black organic peaty silt was revealed just below the topsoil. The development site does not encroach on the alluvial plain and this layer was confined to the extreme south-western section of the stripped area.
Monitoring did not reveal any significant features or deposits of an archaeological nature. Two small pits were uncovered, neither of which produced any dating evidence or associated features. No archaeological finds were revealed during the monitoring.
Unit 3, Howley Court, Oranmore, Co. Galway
