County: Longford Site name: CLEENRAH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 6:2 Licence number: 04E1018
Author: Finn Delaney, Dominic Delany & Associates, Unit 3, Howley Court, Oranmore, Co. Galway.
Site type: Enclosure; no archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 625618m, N 790134m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.860036, -7.610561
Excavations at a development site in Cleenrah, Aughnacliffe, Co. Longford, took place on 27 July 2004. The site is situated on an east-facing slope overlooking Leebeen Lough. Two ringforts (SMR 6:1 and 6:3) and a portal tomb (6:4) are located within 500m of the site. The existing building is built across the western half of an enclosure. All that remains of the monument is a low scarp with slight remains of an earthen bank and a vague suggestion of a fosse. The scarp and slight bank are visible to the east of the house along the edge of a circular gravel driveway. The proposed extension to the north of the house measures 5m by 5.5m and extends across an existing level gravel drive. The projected line of the existing enclosure bank runs through the north-east corner of the extension. The majority of the extension then will lie on the interior of the partially destroyed enclosure. The extension will be built on a strip foundation with very little ground reduction necessary within the limits of the foundation trenches.
Three short trenches were excavated along the line of the proposed strip foundations. Nothing of any archaeological significance was noted in any of the trenches. One modern feature was noted in Trench 1, which was possibly the remains of a disused sewage tank associated with the present house.
