2005:943 - THE COMMONS, MANORHAMILTON, Leitrim

Pre-development testing was carried out on 15 April 2005 at a site in advance of its development at The Commons, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. The proposed development was located within the constraint area for a church, which was within a small overgrown graveyard across the road to the north of the proposed development site.
The development site sloped down steeply to the Owenmore River, which flowed along the southern site boundary. The site was waterlogged along the river at the base of the slope. A sizeable portion of the eastern half of the site had been backfilled extensively in the recent past, to over 3m in depth in places. An old schoolhouse in the north-east corner of the site had a plaque located on its front (east wall). The inscription on the plaque read ‘James Conningham 1779’. Along the eastern site boundary were two further stone buildings. A modern concrete sewer pipe, 300mm in diameter, ran through the site.
Four trenches were excavated to best cover the proposed development. The trenches measured 14m, 20.3m, 12.3m and 16.3m long, 0.9–2.2m wide and 0.3–2.0m deep. Below the concrete floor (of a recently demolished building on the site), topsoil and recent fill was sterile natural subsoil and bedrock. The topsoil contained modern artefacts. The fill consisted of loose rocks, soil, concrete, concrete blocks, plastic products and bits of metal. The testing revealed nothing of archaeological significance.

4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.