County: Leitrim Site name: DUNCARBRY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 1:31 Licence number: 05E0502
Author: Martin A. Timoney, Bóthar an Chorainn, Keash, Co. Sligo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 578644m, N 857439m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.464999, -8.329408
It was proposed to build a single house at the site of an existing house and former blacksmith’s forge at Duncarbry, Tullaghan.
The entire area for the development of the house and services was soil-stripped using an excavator with a toothless bucket. The level of the ground in this property was about 0.5m lower than that to the west, perhaps as a result of ground alterations here decades ago. A thin layer of dark-brown soil lay directly over stony natural glacial deposits. There were no archaeological discoveries, the few items noted being of modern vintage. There were very few pieces of crockery and glass, and, most surprisingly considering the former nearby forge, there were no pieces of waste or scrap metal. Several rusted scrap items from this forge were found when monitoring ground just across the new Sligo–Bundoran road (Excavations 2003, No. 1111, 03E0504).
The one find, a George III halfpenny, is without archaeological context. The coin was submitted to Michael Kenny, NMI, who described it thus: ‘Halfpenny, Irish, George III. Part of the legend is just about legible and the right-facing bust is that of George III. The date is worn but the date-range for this issue, known as the “London Coinage”, is 1766–1782.’
To the west of the plot is Tullaghan high cross. A second phase of monitoring of the opening of an alternative trench for laying ESB ducts took place in September 2005. The ESB chose a line 40m to the west of the high cross. The trench was about 23m long and no more than 0.7m wide and was cut down as far as the underlying natural ground. There was no indication of archaeology.
