County: Donegal Site name: MAIN STREET UPPER, BALLYSHANNON
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 107:53 Licence number: 05E0745
Author: Richard Crumlish, 4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 587555m, N 861645m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.503089, -8.192135
Pre-development testing was carried out on 5 July 2005 at a site in advance of its development at Upper Main Street, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal. The proposed development was located within the constraint area for Ballyshannon. It consisted of the erection of an extension to a premises. The site was located to the rear of Reid and Sweeney’s solicitors’ office (which appears to date to the early 19th century) and was accessible via an alleyway off Church Lane. The site consisted of a small backyard covered in stone flags. The alleyway from which the site was accessible was tested by the writer as part of an adjacent development in April 2003 (Excavations 2003, No. 387, 03E0529).
One trench excavated (by machine) through the centre of the yard measured 8.1m long, 0.95–1m wide and 0.3–0.5m deep. Below the roughly cut stone flags was topsoil. Below the topsoil was grey/cream friable sandy silt loam. The topsoil contained roots, red-brick fragments, a small number of oyster shells and modern pottery sherds. The sandy silt loam contained a moderate amount of stones and pebbles.
The testing revealed evidence of modern activity on the site only; i.e. stone flags (probably contemporary with or later than the adjacent 19th-century building), laid over topsoil which contained modern artefacts, over natural subsoil.
