County: Sligo Site name: SLIGO: Adelaide Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Robert O'Hara, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 568432m, N 835748m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.269569, -8.484618
The N4 Sligo inner relief road and county extension development involves the construction of a new dual carriageway extending north from the Carrowroe roundabout on the existing N4 in Tonafortes townland. This will run through a rural environment at first, then continue through the Sligo urban area and terminate at the Michael Hughes Bridge, at the junction of Custom House Quay and Ballast Quay in Rathedmond townland. The development covers a distance of 4.2 km.
The area between St Joseph's Hospital and Ballast Quay was previously tested by Stephen J. Linnane. A small area beside Adelaide Street was inaccessible, and therefore unavailable, for testing at that time. The area consisted of two carpark facilities for local businesses, with a number of standing buildings that are scheduled to be demolished in advance of construction.
Unlicensed monitoring involved the excavation of four test-trenches with a combined length of c. 50m through the two carparks. The stratigraphy comprised modern hardcore surfaces over building rubble sealing the original ground, which survived as a thin layer of topsoil over natural subsoil.
A 19th- or 20th-century drain was noted in one trench, but no archaeological finds or features were noted in the excavated areas.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
