County: Westmeath Site name: BA 1, BALLYKILMORE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1103
Author: Laurence McGowan, 27 Lindenwood Park, Foyle Springs, Derry, for Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 641206m, N 737367m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.384863, -7.380606
This work was undertaken as part of a programme of testing ahead of the proposed realignment of the N6 Dublin-Galway carriageway. The site is one of sixteen sites of archaeological potential identified during the compilation of an EIS. The site is in the south-east corner of a field currently in rough pasture, at Chainage point 720m on the proposed N52 realignment, which is being undertaken as part of the N6 improvement. The field encompasses a small hillock that overlooks the existing N6 carriageway, which lies c. 100m to the north. The ground immediately to the north slopes steeply to moderately wet, boggy ground before rising steeply to the N6. The site consists of an unusual plateau on top of the hillock in the south-east corner of the field. This plateau is oval in plan, measuring c. 20m by 10m, and is surrounded by an apparent bank, which reaches a maximum height of c. 2m.
Three trenches were excavated during testing. Two were opened into the apparent bank feature and then continued down the surrounding slope, while the third was opened in the flat area surrounded by the bank. No archaeological remains were uncovered. A single sherd of 19th-century blackware was recovered from one of the trenches at a depth of c. 0.07m.
The landscape in the area surrounding the site is marked by several small drumlins and eskers. It seems likely that the anomaly investigated may represent an episode of quarrying into one such drumlin, possibly to obtain sand.
