County: Sligo Site name: SHANNON EIGHTER
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SL014–016 Licence number: 06E0760
Author: Richard Crumlish
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 568908m, N 837896m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.288903, -8.477536
Pre-development testing was carried out on 8–21 August 2006 at a site at Shannon Eighter townland, Co. Sligo. The site was partially located within the archaeological constraint for a cemetery and ash dump. During road widening of the main Sligo–Bundoran road in 1969 a number of burials were found, extending over a 20m-long area. A deposit of burnt clay, stones and charcoal was noted (ash pit/hearth) 12m away at 0.6m below the road surface, which measured 4m across. The discovery was made in Lisnalurg townland which is on the opposite side of the Sligo–Bundoran road (N15) from this site, along which runs the townland boundary.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of sixteen trenches. The trenches measured 59.5m, 51.4m, 51.6m, 49.2m, 40.8m, 40.2m, 51m, 59.7m, 100m, 70.4m, 124m, 96m, 90.7m, 50.9m, 49m and 60.3m long respectively, 0.8–1.5m wide and 0.15–1.4m deep. Below the topsoil in thirteen of the trenches were natural subsoils, with modern fill and redeposited material found in two of the trenches. The topsoil contained modern artefacts. Modern water service pipes crossed three of the trenches.
In the south-western corner of the site, within the constraint for the cemetery and ash dump, the remaining three trenches revealed one feature of archaeological significance (a ditch) and two features of possible archaeological significance (a silt loam deposit containing animal bone and a possible ditch feature), all three of which require further investigation. The remaining thirteen trenches revealed nothing of archaeological significance.
4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo
