2006:1311 - Kilbride, Abbeylara, Longford

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Longford Site name: Kilbride, Abbeylara

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 06E0209

Author: Paul Stevens, for The Archaeology Company, Birr Technology Centre, Mill Island, Birr, Co. Offaly.

Site type: No archaeological significance

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 635085m, N 779765m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.766310, -7.467838

An impact assessment, including testing and damage assessment, was carried out on 29 March 2006 at a development site at Kilbride, Abbeylara, Co. Longford. The site was near two monuments within the village of Abbeylara (LF011–036, abbey, and LF011–057, holy well), on the south-western side of the village.
On arrival, it was apparent that construction was already under way and the majority of the groundworks for the development were largely completed or at an advanced stage. A revised scope of work was undertaken to determine the existence or possibility of any surviving archaeological features on the site. Nine test-trenches were opened, using a mechanical excavator, across the areas available to assess. All construction foundation and services trenches were also inspected.
Testing revealed the presence of prior truncation of part of the site by previous usage as a truck depot and yard. Furthermore, a large plateau of outcropping slate bedrock of Cambrian formation was revealed across much of the northern and central site. The bedrock lay immediately below the present ground level and made the existence of surviving archaeological features on the site highly unlikely. A small modern pit and a trial pit were the only features revealed in the test-trenches.
There were no remains of archaeological significance. A slight curve in the northern field boundary, suspected of being of archaeological origin prior to testing, was revealed to be a response to natural ground conditions.