County: Mayo Site name: Various Townlands, Mayo Group Water Schemes DBO Bundle 2 Advance Works 3
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E1130
Author: Bernard Guinan, Coosan, Athlone, Co. Westmeath.
Site type: Monitoring
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 525534m, N 784463m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.804376, -9.130501
The Mayo County Council Group Water Schemes – Design Build and Operate (DBO) Bundle 2 Advance Works 3 project – involves pipe-laying between Balla, Ballyvarry and Turlough, near Castlebar, and at Drumindoo, near Westport, Co. Mayo. Works commenced in late 2007 (Excavations 2007, No. 1212) and are nearing completion at the time of writing. Over 100km of pipe-laying has taken place in road verges, within roads and in fields. Works impacted on the zone of archaeological constraint of 29 monuments. For each of these sites a proposed archaeological mitigation was agreed with the statutory authorities.
A total of eight previously unrecorded fulachta fiadh have been found to date during monitoring on the project. These were identified in the following townlands:
Easting Northing Townland
125436 287913 Prison North
103330 282442 Ballinvoy
104254 284235 Ballinvoy
104257 284209 Ballinvoy
105641 285133 Kilbree
103322 282445 Ballinvoy
121525 297739 Ballygarriff
121525 297739 Lack West
When these fulachta fiadh were encountered they were recorded and their position mapped. Where possible, the pipeline was diverted away from the sites. Samples were taken for radiocarbon dating and any exposed deposits were covered with terram and preserved in situ prior to the pipe trench being reinstated. A previously unrecorded mound of possible archaeological significance was found in the townland of Parke (121311 296231). Several lithic artefacts, clay pipes and ceramic fragments were found during monitoring of works.
