2006:2127 - RICHFIELD, Wexford

Monitoring of all site-development works took place at a wind farm development at Richfield, Co. Wexford. About 2⁄3 of the site was located on made ground, reclaimed since the 19th century. Monitoring took place over five months.

The site was divided into two areas by a road running north–south between Baldwinstown and Kilmore Quay. Thirteen turbines (referred to here as Site 1) were located on the west side of the site and the remaining five (referred to as Site 2) are located on the east side. A number of archaeological features were discovered after topsoil-stripping: a linear feature, possibly features of a fulachta fiadh and a large pit containing charcoal.

When the area was trowelled back, a central burnt pit and several small burnt spreads were evident. These features, containing pottery, were excavated over two days. F22 and surrounding features was identified as a possible fulacht fiadh site. F22 itself was a relatively shallow oval-shaped pit with six different fills measuring 2m east–west by c. 1.1m. The main fill of the pit is a very humic gritty material containing a large amount (c. 90%) of blackened, fist-sized fractured and broken stone, which is typically found at such sites. F23, F24 and F26, which abut F22 on the north and south edges, are possibly the same feature, as it was difficult to determine their edges and the fills seemed similar. This may have been a gully of some sort, which served to drain water away from F25, a very compact stone surface built to function as a dry working area directly east of F22. This working surface consisted of small to medium-sized stones, c. 50–100mm, securely embedded in light-grey dense silty clay.

Two stone pillars were uncovered. These were totally overgrown and not visible from any part of the site. A machine was employed to clean back the vegetation revealing two very substantial pillars, situated at the north end of a cobbled causeway. This causeway runs from the site of the 16th-century tower-house (adjoining the 19th-century Richfield House) to the edge of what was originally Ballytiege Lough. This lough was reclaimed in the mid-19th century; however, it is quite possible that the pillars may have marked the point of access from the lough to Richfield, suggesting that a dock or quay of some kind may have existed in the vicinity of this entrance.

The access road for the wind farm was originally laid out to pass through the site of the pillars, but it was agreed to reroute the road by curving it further to the north, hence avoiding the pillars in order to protect them in situ. The pillars, which are believed to be 17th- or possibly 18th-century in date, were constructed using a mix of stone: granite, limestone, shale, local Fort Mountain red stone and red sandstone. They were finely constructed using large worked granite corner stones and mostly angular infill stones held together with sandy lime mortar containing shell fragments.

In the course of cleaning back overburden from around the pillars and along the existing lane, the cobbled stone surface of the original causeway was revealed. These cobbles were predominantly large (fist-sized) stones, varying in size from 0.1 to 0.2m, and of varying shapes and stone types. These were packed tightly into the clay. Overburden was removed from the existing laneway, then terram was laid down on top of the cobbled surface, which in turn was covered with filling (hardcore) to protect the surface required for the access road from works.

Six Clarence Court, St Luke’s, Cork