2005:244 - FERMOY–MITCHELSTOWN ROAD SCHEME, Cork

Testing was undertaken on behalf of Cork County Council on the route of the N8 Fermoy–Mitchelstown bypass. It involves the construction of 16km of the N8 from Gortore, north of Fermoy, to Carrigane, north-east of Mitchelstown. The route begins at the northern end of the Fermoy bypass at Gortore, c. 2km north of Fermoy, and continues northwards across the River Funshion, along the western side of the Glencorra Stream, a tributary of the Funshion. At Caherdrinny, it crosses over the western extremities of the Kilworth Mountains. From there it descends north-eastwards onto the broad plain that extends east and north-eastwards from Mitchelstown. It crosses the existing N8 at Gortnahown and passes to the east of Mitchelstown, crossing the R665 Mitchelstown–Ballyporeen road and terminating at Carrigane, south of Kilbeheny and 2km west of where Cork, Limerick and Tipperary counties meet.

A programme of centre-line and offset testing was undertaken. A test-trench, 2m wide, was excavated continuously on the centre-line of the main route. Offsets were excavated at intervals of 12.5m on either side of the centre-line to the limits of the site boundary or CPO line. The trenches were incrementally excavated by track machines with flat buckets. In addition, target test-trenches were excavated at four locations within the route under licences 05E112–4 and 05E1126 (see Nos 167 and 178–80, Excavations 2005), and an assessment was undertaken on a section of the Funshion River under licence 05R143. A number of archaeological sites were recorded in the testing and are awaiting excavation.

Ballycurreen Industrial Estate, Kinsale Road, Cork