2009:077 - ANNAGH AND RAKEELAN: Testing Areas 1–7, R208 Ballyconnell Relief Road, Cavan

Advance testing took place along 1.2km of the R208 Ballyconnell relief road, Co. Cavan, in the townlands of Annagh and Rakeelan on 14–16 December 2009. The work was carried out on behalf of Cavan County Council and the National Roads Authority.

The assessment involved mechanically excavated test-trenches. An area of redeposited river dredging was scanned with a metal detector but only modern finds were noted. The location of this redeposited material has been noted for future reference. A number of post-medieval features were identified including furrows, field ditches/drains, burnt-out tree boles from 18th-to 19th-century plantings and the foundations of a late 19th/early 20th-century demolished stone building (visible on second-and third-edition OS maps). Occasional modern pottery and brick fragments were also evident in the topsoil.