County: Donegal Site name: THE ROCK, BALLYSHANNON
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E0831
Author: Eoin Halpin, ADS Ltd, Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3.
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 587854m, N 861199m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.499088, -8.187501
The development site was located on the south side of the Erne River, on East Rock, and was c. 0.5km south-east of the main bridge spanning the river. It was situated close to the limits of the zone of archaeological potential of Ballyshannon town (SMR 107:53).
The greenfield portion of the site, the western section, was examined by machine excavation of ten test-trenches. These uncovered evidence of recent and successive episodes of manuring, which included domestic refuse. The trenches also revealed bedrock very close to the surface in a number of areas across the site and elsewhere colour variations noted in the subsoil were seen to be the natural product of the close proximity of this rock.
In the eastern end of the proposed development, in the area of the storage yard, local information supported by testing revealed that, in the course of construction of the yard, the area had been scarped down so that bedrock was exposed over much of this portion of the site. This is attested to by the fact that there is 1m in difference in the ground level on either side of the wall dividing the greenfield from the storage yard area.
Nothing of archaeological interest was found in the course of testing.
