County: Antrim Site name: BARRET PARK GAA GROUNDS, LOUGHGUILE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/09/185
Author: Warren Bailie and Vincent McClorey, Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Unit 6, Old Channel Road, Belfast, BT3 9DE.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 708084m, N 925239m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.062857, -6.307988
The site is located on lands off Lough Road, Loughguile, Co. Antrim. The proposed development concerns the creation of an additional pitch and hurling wall adjacent to the existing GAA grounds. The proposed development site lies within an archaeologically sensitive area with 23 archaeological sites within a 1.5km radius, but none of which are located within the site boundaries. There are, however, four standing stones within close proximity, the closest (ANT018–008) being located 110m away. The presence of these standing stones suggests activity within this area dating as far back as the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age.
PlanofdrainsatCastleStreet,Lisburn(No.48).
Due to considerable scarping in the past of the southern end of the ground, testing was confined to the northern half of the site. Here six test-trenches were excavated across the proposed development in November 2009. Two trenches were excavated across the area of the hurling wall, with four trenches excavated across the area of the new pitch. The four trenches across the area of the proposed pitch were excavated intermittently due to the presence of drainage ditches. The ground was made up of a peat deposit that had an average depth of 0.6m across the site. However, towards the north-east end of the site the depth of peat increased to over 3m. No potential archaeological deposits were uncovered.
