County: Clare Site name: Cratloe
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E0324
Author: Finn Delaney, Eachtra Archaeological Projects, Unit 10, Kilkerrin Park, Liosbain Industrial Estate, Galway.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 550221m, N 659764m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.686737, -8.736269
An impact assessment was carried out in response to a further information request with respect to a proposed fill extraction site at Cratloe, Co. Clare. The proposed development is 4.6ha in area and will be a temporary development extraction site (three years), which will lower the levels within agricultural land by up to 7m. On completion, the entire area will be regraded, seeded and returned to agricultural land.
Testing was undertaken in dry and bright conditions and a large tracked excavator fitted with a 2m-wide toothless bucket was employed to open nine trenches, all running east–west. Trench 1 was excavated at the northern end of the site and was 162m in length. Two possible ditch features running parallel north–south were uncovered. The possible ditches were also evident in Trench 2, which was excavated for 182m. The shallow nature of the ditches (0.3–0.4m) suggests they were of little archaeological significance and may represent older field boundaries. Trench 3 was excavated for 160m and a redeposited burnt spread was located 90m from the western end. Trench 4 was excavated for 175m and contained the same soil profile as Trenches 1 and 3. Trench 5 was excavated for 180m along the centre of the proposed extraction site. There was a possible ditch located 50m from the western edge of the trench. Nothing of archaeological significance was located in the possible ditch and it was not evident in any of the other trenches. Trench 6 was excavated for 155m. There were no archaeological features evident, although a piece of modern pottery was recovered. Trench 7 was excavated for 142m. A charcoal spread was located 56m from the eastern edge of the trench. The absence of burnt clay and finds suggest this was redeposited material. A second spread of light-brown/grey silty sand with small to large charcoal flecks was located 4m to the east of the first spread.
All the features encountered were interpreted as modern redeposited material and old field boundaries. Nothing of any archaeological significance was noted.
