County: Leitrim Site name: DRUMHIERNEY, LEITRIM
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 27:25 Licence number: 03E0816
Author: Christopher Read, North West Archaeological Services Ltd, Cloonfad Cottage, Cloonfad, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 595157m, N 804911m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.993431, -8.073845
The proposed development, to consist of twelve houses, access and connections to the village sewerage scheme on a four-acre site at Drumhierney, is located just outside Leitrim village on the Keadue road. The site is near SMR 27:25, a well-preserved ringfort.
Monitoring was carried out of excavation works associated with the proposed development. As a portion of the development is to be piled, due to the instability of the underlying deposits, a portion of the site was tested rather than monitored. The western half of the site was completely topsoil-stripped. The topsoil was very thin, consisting of sod and friable brown clay, 0.1–0.15m deep. This rested directly atop a compact natural grey/brown clay. The three test-trenches, located across the southern and eastern ends of the site, revealed a substantial peaty deposit under the sod. It measured between 0.2 and 1.2m deep, being deeper in the south-east corner of the site. It rested directly atop a sticky grey/brown natural clay, similar to that identified on the western side of the site but much softer. There was no evidence of any archaeological activity on the site.
