2005:1309 - ARM, Roscommon

The site of the proposed development at Arm is located on the outskirts of Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, on lands that are part of the Clonalis estate with access onto the Ballyhaunis road. Located within the site is an enclosure. The proposed development is to consist of 35 detached houses, access and related service. As the proposed development layout cannot include the standard 20m buffer zone required around enclosure-type monuments, a detailed desk study and topographical survey of the monument and surrounding area was carried out by Dr Niall Brady of the Discovery Programme. While this monument may be the degraded remains of an enclosure, rath or barrow, it was probably constructed or modified in the recent past for use as a tree ring.

The proposed development site was extensively tested by machine. The proposed trenching layout was modified to include those elements of the proposed development that will come closest to the monument. In total, eleven trenches were excavated across the site in August 2005. They were 1.5m wide and varied in length, with three of 150m, three of 100m, three of 80m, one of 30m and two of 20m. The trenches were excavated to a depth of 0.3–0.55m. The deeper trenches included Trenches 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 11 and the northern halves of Trenches 4, 6, 7 and 8. The southern ends of Trenches 4, 6, 7 and 8 and the entirety of Trench 9 were much shallower. This difference is reflected in the observable vegetation pattern in the field, with the southern end of the proposed development site being covered in reeds, reflecting the presence of a more impermeable underlying subsoil and lesser topsoil build-up. No evidence of archaeological activity was revealed on the site.

Cloonfad Cottage, Cloonfad, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim