County: Westmeath Site name: FARTHINGSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A001/005
Author: John Tierney, Eachtra Archaeological Projects, Ballycurreen Industrial Estate, Kinsale Road, Cork.
Site type: Possible trackway
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 646447m, N 739110m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.400097, -7.301561
Excavations were undertaken in advance of realignment of the N6, between Kinnegad and Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, in 2004 (Excavations 2004, No. 1748, 04E0908). Farthingstown 6 was one of six areas of archaeological potential uncovered in Farthingstown townland, near the western end of the scheme. The remains of a potential shallow brushwood trackway, spanning an area of 3m by 2.5m, was discovered during testing at this site and the test-trench was reopened for resolution in January 2005.
The centre-line trench was identified and an area 10m by 10m was marked out around the original trench. The topsoil, 0.2m in depth, was dark-brown peaty clay with occasional sub-rounded pebbles. The subsoil was a firm light-grey sandy marl with occasional medium sub-angular stones. There was no evidence of a brushwood track within the excavated square and consequently the area of excavation was extended to the west. An additional 60m2 of topsoil was removed, but once again there was no definite evidence of a brushwood trackway, although five natural decaying tree trunks were recovered in the trenches.
The unworked timber pieces that were found may have been the remnants of a trackway scattered and destroyed by modern reclamation methods or the result of natural tree growth in the area. The latter hypothesis is preferred. It appears that there were periodic episodes of tree and scrub growth on the bog surface, which resulted in deposits of tree trunks and naturally deposited roundwoods. Since no other remains of archaeological significance were found, the site was backfilled and tracked over.
