2006:1795 - TOORLESTRAUN, Sligo

Tourlestrane GAA club (Toorlestraun on OS maps, Tourlestrane for the GAA club) is seeking to establish a new training pitch and facilities, with a new access-way from the Tubbercurry to Aclare road; pre-development testing took place to clarify the discovery of a second earthwork within the development area and to archaeologically resolve an acceptable access routeway. Resolution of the area for the pitch was left for the development stage.

The present regular north–south field pattern post-dates the 1910–1911 maps. All three fields have many north–south lines of rushes, the result of severe ploughing about 1998, and these were reflected at several places in the test-trenches. At the southern end of the most northerly of the three fields is a ringfort. On initial site examination of the fields an enclosure in the form of a slightly raised bank enclosing a somewhat oval area, centred at 144572 310109 and aligned roughly north-west/south-east, was discovered. The ringfort and the enclosure together form an elongated figure-of-eight pattern. The access road as proposed would cut through the enclosure, so an alternative route was chosen which would not interfere in any way with the ringfort or enclosure. With the exception of Trench 3, the six test-trenches, dug with a 6-foot toothless bucket, were concentrated on the extents and surroundings of the ringfort and the enclosure.

Trenches 1 and 2 established that there was no fosse and no outer bank further out than 1.25m from the base of the bank on the south side. Trench 3 was across a former routeway crossing the lands, marked on the 1838 and 1910–1911 OS 6-inch maps. There was no indication in the trench through the bank, which was no more than perhaps 0.75m high at most, of a physical presence of the path. Repeated ploughing would have obliterated any stoning of this path that might have existed and it certainly had reduced and broadened the profile of the bank.

Trenches 4 and 5, radiating west from the enclosure, 35.5m and 46.5m long, were opened to test ground for alternative routes for the access roads. There was no sign of a ditch in these trenches. Trench 6 ran in a north-west direction from the north-east side of the enclosure and was 48m long. The trench was dug to the undisturbed natural soil by removing ploughed soil to a depth of 1.15m at the north end and 1.6m at the south but to 2m near the enclosure to check for the fosse. The soil is brown in colour and naturally varying in texture.

The enclosure bank is quite evident, though no more than about 0.7m high, at the south-east end of this trench. At the south-east end of this trench the ploughing had totally mixed the top 0.6m of soil but at a depth of 0.85m there was a vague ghost of a fosse curving with and outside of the bank of the enclosure. The fosse did not show in section, probably due to repeated ploughing. A white soil stain along the outside (north), with softer soil with more black inclusions within, strongly suggests that the outer part of a fosse was being exposed here. The trench was not extended further, so the dimensions of the ditch were not established. About 1.2m of its width were exposed on the west side and it went to 1.5m below the present grass surface. It seems, then, that there was a fosse outside of the enclosure but that much of the overall evidence has been obliterated by ploughing. By projection of the slight bank and slight evidence of a ditch the approximate measurements for the enclosure would be about 32m north–south by 35m.

This discovery of the enclosure along with the ringfort is of interest. It may be premature to compare this with the major site being excavated for the Charlestown bypass at Lowpark, south-west of Charlestown, Co. Mayo. Although there were no aboveground indications, conjoined enclosures were under excavation there in early 2006 (see No. 1466, Excavations 2006).

As this enclosure would cause a problem for the alignment of the access road as proposed, this was reconsidered by the client. Trenches 4–6 tested this ground in three well-spaced areas, all without any archaeological complications. There were no finds. An alternative route was chosen, leaving the enclosure intact.

The whole area for the pitch and other requirements, close on 2ha, will need to be soil-stripped. It is recommended that the site works for the football pitch be monitored during construction, which is expected to be in 2007.

Bóthar an Chorainn, Keash, Co. Sligo