County: Roscommon Site name: Alderford
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E0669
Author: Eoin Halpin, ADS Ltd, 47 John Street, Sligo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 586454m, N 813509m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.070539, -8.206954
Testing was carried out at Alderford, Ballyfarnan, Co. Roscommon. The site was situated c. 125m to the west of RO001–010. The development consists of the construction of 34 dwellings with detached garages, associated services, amenity areas and a playground. It is a large development covering almost 6.5 acres.
The area was open grassy wetland, with frequent areas of standing water on the surface of the field. Thirteen trenches were excavated across the site. Subsoil was encountered in only one trench at a depth of 0.7m below the present ground surface. The remaining trenches were excavated to a safe depth of 1.2m. In trenches adjacent to the river, deposits consisted of redeposited river silts. In the remaining trenches the stratigraphy consisted of topsoil and/or peat overlying bluish-grey marl. The peat varied in depth but was deepest at the east of the site.
No archaeological features, deposits or finds were uncovered during the course of the excavation of test-trenches.
