County: Mayo Site name: Knockfree
Sites and Monuments Record No.: MA039–001, MA039–002 Licence number: 08E0062
Author: Richard Crumlish, 4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 518146m, N 817605m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.101010, -9.251508
Pre-development testing was carried out on 6 February 2008 at a site at Knockfree, Cloghans, Ballina, Co. Mayo. The proposed development site was located within the constraints for a holy well (MA039–001) and a mill (MA039–002). No surface trace of either monument survived. The holy well would have been located c. 47m north-west of the proposed development, while the mill would have been located adjacent to the south-east side of the site. The proposed development consisted of the construction of a slatted cattle shed with slurry tank, silage pit and associated site development works located within a farmyard.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of one trench along the western edge of the proposed slatted shed/slurry pit. The trench measured 15.5m north north-east/south south-west, 1–2m wide and 0.6–1.6m deep. On the surface of the trench was topsoil and fill, above grey plastic compact boulder clay. The topsoil contained modern artefacts of metal and plastic. The fill consisted of redeposited topsoil and subsoil, boulders, rocks and concrete and contained quite an amount of plastic bags and plastic wrappers. The testing revealed an area which was backfilled during the last quarter of the 20th century, possibly for the construction of an access track through the farmyard. All finds were of late 20th-century date. Nothing of archaeological significance was revealed.
