2008:1023 - Carrickmore, Roscommon

Archaeological investigations, including excavation at RO006–127, were carried out, on behalf of Roadstone Provinces Ltd, prior to continuing works on the western face of the quarry at Carrickmore, Boyle, Co. Roscommon. The management of this project was governed by the code of practice agreed between the Irish Concrete Federation (ICF) and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. D. Charles Mount, project archaeologist for the ICF, oversaw the project.
RO006–127 is listed in the RMP as a hut site with no known date. The excavation was carried out further to monitoring and assessment which had taken place in March 2006. On completion of these monitoring works, the site was enclosed by topsoil to protect it from ongoing works at the quarry. The excavations were undertaken between 8 January and 3 February 2008. The works comprised the removal of the topsoil overburden and full excavation of the exposed remains.
Only a small proportion of material of archaeological significance had survived, consisting of a ditch and seven post-holes. The ditch feature was crescent-shaped, measuring 0.3–0.55m in width, 0.14m in depth and surviving for a length of 1.1m, the cut becoming more ephemeral towards the south. The sides of the ditch were almost vertical and the base concave, the shape of the cut indicating that it had originally been dug by hand. Three fills were present within this ditch. The post-holes did not indicate a definite structure. Five were located in the north-west part of the excavation area and two in the south-west. There were no other associated cut features present and no indications of burning. Post-depositional disturbance had occurred, probably due to modern agricultural activity and the topsoil-stripping. This undoubtedly had an adverse effect on any archaeological remains present. The presence of a modern ditch and a French drain, both running east–west across the site and just outside the southern boundary, show that the area was worked and developed for agricultural purposes. None of the samples retained for further analysis yielded any additional diagnostic evidence. The only find uncovered during the course of the excavation came from an interface layer between the topsoil and the subsoil, discovered during cleaning back. It was a piece of flint debitage, suggesting a possible Neolithic date for the site. It is possible that this hut site had a ritual rather than occupational function, the location possibly being significant because of the commanding views over Lough Key. This may explain the relative lack of cut features and material culture at the site, rather than this absence being explained by modern disturbance.