County: Mayo Site name: Mount Street, Claremorris
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 05E1020
Author: Bernard Guinan, Coosan, Athlone, Co. Westmeath.
Site type: Burial-ground
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 534028m, N 775079m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.721210, -8.999560
The construction of a link road (350m long) in Claremorris, Co. Mayo, impacted on a 19th-century graveyard associated with Claremorris workhouse. This site was heavily disturbed in recent decades and was used as a cattle mart and carpark up to the present. Exploratory trenching established the presence of coffins c. 0.6m below the existing carpark surface (Excavations 2005, No. 1112). Following consultations between Mayo County Council, the DoEHLG and the NMI, it was agreed to preserve the burial-ground in situ and to construct the road by raising it c. 0.6m above the current ground level. This process eliminated ground disturbance within the known confines of the graveyard. All works associated with the project were monitored. No burials were disturbed during works.
