2006:1416 - Cashelduff, Mayo

Excavation took place on this site from 2–23 May 2006. It was newly identified during the centreline testing (A020/003) and was fully excavated in advance of the construction of the N5 Charlestown Bypass. It was situated 2.5m west of A020/019 (see No. 1415 above), at an altitude of 112m OD. The irregular shaped mound measured 10.5m north-west/south-east by 10.4m by 0.28–0.6m thick and consisted of fire-cracked stones in a moderately compact charcoal-rich matrix. The mound was cut on the south-west side by a modern open land drain and on the west side by a stone-lined drain orientated north–south. The mound overlay a large stone-lined trough, which was located along the northern bank of the modern drain.
The cut for the trough measured 3m north–south by 2.4m by 0.31–0.58m deep. It was stepped, with a gradual break of slope along the upper edge, then a vertical break of slope to the flat base. The corners were rounded. Mound material appeared to have slumped into the upper 0.02–0.05m of the cut between the stone lining and the sides of the cut. The stone lining measured 2.12m north–south by 1.02m and was constructed using large flat stone slabs along the sides and along the base. The trough had two fills. The upper fill was a peaty clay, which measured 0.8m north–south by 0.5m by 0.05–0.15m thick and had occasional inclusions of sub-angular stones. The main fill measured 1.8m north–south by 0.84m by 0.24–0.35m thick. It was a moderately compact black silty clay, with frequent inclusions of large stones. The stones had an average size of 0.4m by 0.35m and were not fire-cracked. The stones may have been a deliberate backfill of the trough after a period of use.