County: Sligo Site name: Kilvarnet North
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SL025–144, SL032–034 Licence number: C232; E3639
Author: Richard Crumlish, 4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 559674m, N 819877m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.126355, -8.616936
Pre-development testing was carried out on 27 September 2007 at a proposed extension to Kilvarnet graveyard (SL032–034(02)), at Kilvarnet North, Co. Sligo. The proposed extension was located 29m from Kilvarnet Church and possibly within an Early Christian enclosure. The proposed extension consisted of new grave plots and 1.3m-wide intervening footpaths covering an area of 17.5m by 11m along the northern boundary wall of the existing graveyard, which was an extension to the original graveyard and first used c. 30 years ago.
Testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of two trenches which measured 14.7m and 15.1m long, 0.8–1.1m wide and 0.4–0.8m deep. The spoil from both trenches was investigated using a metal detector. Below the topsoil was orange/grey plastic clay and grey loose sand and gravel. The topsoil contained bits of concrete, large amounts of plastic and three large rusted metal gates. The investigation of the spoil using the metal detector yielded only 20th-century artefacts. Nothing of archaeological significance was in evidence.
