County: Mayo Site name: WESTPORT DEMESNE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0136 ext.
Author: Richard F. Gillespie, for Mayo County Council
Site type: Burnt spread and Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 498580m, N 785725m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.811155, -9.539981
Testing was carried out in January 2004 adjacent to the Creevagh burial-ground in advance of the development of an industrial park on behalf of Mayo County Council (Excavations 2004, No. 1156). The burial-ground and two areas of burnt stone identified by this testing were fenced off for their protection as this development continues. Subsequent monitoring of topsoil removal in the area immediately to the east identified two further concentrations of burnt stone (Areas 1 and 2). These were subsequently excavated between 24 April and 5 May 2006.
The stratigraphy of the site consisted of the topsoil layer, which was common to both Areas 1 and 2. This overlay a compact orange boulder clay. All features were cut directly into this boulder clay.
Area 1 consisted of a concentration of burnt stone and charcoal with a visible extent of 2m by 1m within a surface scatter of burnt stone measuring 14m by 12m. This was probably the disturbed remains of a burnt mound.
The excavation revealed two large pits filled with burnt-mound material, a smaller pit filled mostly with burnt stone and a modern land drain. One pit was sub-oval in plan, measuring 1.75m by 1.2m, and was 0.15m deep. It was filled with burnt stone in a matrix of moderately loose black silt that had frequent inclusions of charcoal. A second pit had steeply sloping sides and a flat base. It measured 1.9m by 0.98m was 0.28m deep. It was filled with a very compact mixture of charcoal-rich black soil and burnt stone. The third pit was circular in plan with a diameter of 0.64m and a depth of 0.16m. It was filled with a compact black and grey mix of burnt stones, charcoal, some loamy clay and a small amount of grey leeched soil.
Area 2 was located 40m to the north of Area 1. The spread was sub-oval in plan and measured 2.8m by 2.65m by 0.1m thick. It consisted of moderately compacted burnt stone and dark-brown loam, which had occasional flecks of charcoal. It overlay a small pit that was circular in plan with very gradually sloping sides and a flat base. It measured 0.5m in diameter and was 0.08m deep. It was filled with a moderately compacted mix of burnt stone and dark-brown silty soil. It had occasional inclusions of charcoal.
Westport Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
