County: Laois Site name: KNOCKBRACK
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E0955
Author: Finn Delaney, Dominic Delany & Associates
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 629994m, N 689836m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.958464, -7.553587
Excavations at a proposed development site in Knockbrack, Co. Laois, took place on 30 August 2005. The location for the five excavated trenches was established in order to test the four features of possible archaeological importance identified in the cultural heritage section of the environmental impact statement prepared for the proposed development.
The proposed development envisages the construction of a fully operational limestone quarry, with associated ancillary operations and facilities. There are no recorded monuments within the boundaries of the proposed development site.
Three of the four possible archaeological features were not visible on the ground and were identified from an aerial photograph of the proposed development area. Testing established that feature 3 (as per the EIS) was a 2.2m-wide stone trackway that contoured along a west-falling slope. No trace of features 4, 5 or 6 was identified. The topsoil across the field was recorded as a sandy silty clay. The limestone bedrock was closer to the surface upslope to the east and towards the southern end of the field. The only find recorded was a single sherd of black earthenware from the surface of the farm trackway. Nothing of any archaeological significance was noted in any of the five excavated trenches.
Unit 3, Howley Court, Oranmore, Co. Galway
