2004:1519 - FORTLAND, Sligo

This application is for a single house and associated works on a 70m by 25m site at Fortland, south of the village of Easky. There were small 19th- and 20th-century gardens along this side of the road, opposite the demesne owned at various stages by Jones, Bereton and Brinkley landlords. The field may have three possible archaeological sites in the immediate vicinity, but none of them have any above-ground visibility.

Testing took place in June. A track machine with a wide toothless bucket was used to remove the topsoil. All trenches were 5m wide. Trench 1 was 68m long east-west. Modern rubbish and a disused manhole and piping from the adjacent house were encountered. Trench 2 was 70m long east-west. Trench 3 was 14m long north-south. Under all trenches opened there were furrows, 0.3-0.45m broad. They were at most 0.05m deep but generally only 20mm deep. Trowelling of some sections did not reveal any dating evidence.

There were no archaeological finds; there were just some pieces of modern crockery from the spreading of manure at all levels in the topsoil. The central area was later cleared of topsoil, without any addition to our understanding of the features. The furrows were the only features revealed and they could be of any date. In late August the site was photographed from the air. These record a much more complex array of furrows than was clear on the ground, but so far interpretation has proven elusive; there are at least three furrow types and all are not 'parallel' to the modern site boundaries.