County: Sligo Site name: BALLYHEALY/MULAGHFARNA
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 40:40, 40:47 Licence number: 04E0674
Author: Christopher Read, North West Archaeological Services, Cloonfad Cottage, Cloonfad, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 577395m, N 812216m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.058596, -8.345260
The proposed group water scheme at Castlebaldwin includes the excavation of a 3km-long trench for a new rising water main. This excavation was monitored in July/August 2004. The line of the scheme comes close to a possible enclosure partly removed by the N4 and a ringfort located towards the northern extent of the scheme. With the exception of three small greenfield areas to be traversed by the trench, all excavation took place within the take of either the N4 or smaller county roads, including those sections of the trench closest to the monuments. The trench was no more than 1m wide and rarely more than 1m deep, although in some places depths reached over 1.5m. All excavation encountered no undisturbed soil horizons in which archaeological materials could be expected to survive. In most places redeposited subsoil and hardcore were revealed lying directly atop natural subsoil/bedrock. No evidence of archaeological activity was revealed anywhere along the scheme.
