County: Sligo Site name: CALTRAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1797
Author: Susan McCabe, Archaeological Consultancy Service Ltd.
Site type: Structure
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 568758m, N 834335m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.256896, -8.479468
Recording of a D-shaped enclosure wall and excavation of associated features had previously been undertaken by Mary Henry Ltd. A hand axe found within the stones of the wall itself indicated a possible Neolithic date for this structure.
As part of the current excavation, the wall was dismantled by hand to reveal its structure and composition and excavate any underlying features. During excavation, it became apparent that the wall was constructed directly on top of the natural subsoil and comprised two separate linear features. The first, curvilinear in shape, was oriented roughly north-south and was constructed using large marker stones (average size 0.5m by 0.4m by 0.6m) placed along the route of the wall at intervals of 1.5–2m. Smaller stones were built up between these markers.
The second wall, oriented roughly east-west, was located at the northern end of the first wall, with a distance of 7m between the two. This second wall was less routinely constructed and comprised smaller stones (average size 0.3m by 0.5m by 0.4m) laid in a more random linear fashion. No datable artefacts or samples were found during excavation.
This project was funded by the Irish government under the National Development Plan 2000–2006.
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