County: Westmeath Site name: KL1, KILLAVALLY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1099
Author: Laurence McGowan, 27 Lindenwood Park, Foyle Springs, Derry, for Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 640410m, N 736547m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.377558, -7.392672
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. It is situated in the southern corner of a field that is currently in pasture at Chainage point 37,520m. The area to the north and south comprises a chain of low drumlins with the effect that the field is sitting in a slightly lower-lying valley filled by deep bog. The bog has been extensively reclaimed over the years.
The site comprises a low irregularly shaped mound. Only a small proportion of the mound will be impacted upon by the proposed development, with the majority of it lying just outside the southern boundary of the road corridor. The mound had originally been identified in an aerial survey carried out by Markus Casey in 2002, who had reported a 'faint circular enclosure defined by a shallow fosse'. Despite this, no evidence of any earthworks were visible on the ground.
As part of the recommended mitigation strategy a topographical survey was carried out on the potential earthwork. In addition, a geophysical survey was carried out ahead of the testing in order to identify any potential areas of archaeological activity and so aid in the positioning of test-trenches. This survey had identified a series of narrow west-east-oriented linear features spaced 10m apart that extended from the base of the second mound feature down to the eastern field boundary.
A series of trenches were excavated along the southern boundary of the CPO in the area that had been identified in the 2002 aerial survey. In addition, several trenches were excavated running from this offset to and throughout the road corridor to investigate the several linear anomalies identified by the geophysical survey. No archaeological features were uncovered in the test-trenching. The series of narrow west-east-oriented linear features were found to be modern ceramic drainage pipes, which formed part of a modern drainage system constructed within the last 25 years in an effort to reclaim the surrounding bogland.
