2009:121 - CAPPEEN WEST, Cork

Pre-development testing was carried out on 26 January 2009 in advance of the construction of a dwelling-house within the zone of archaeological potential of a ringfort and a souterrain at Cappeen West, Enniskeane. As this ringfort, known as 'Cahirvagliar’, is a national monument, a visual impact assessment was required before permission was granted by ministerial consent for test excavation. This included consent to use a metal detector on the upcast from the test-trenches (R160).

Eight test-trenches were excavated. The stratigraphy varied between the north side of the site, adjacent to the public road, where c. 0.3–0.4m of a grey/brown loamy topsoil overlay a yellow/orange, gravelly boulder clay, and the south side where c. 0.4–0.5m of topsoil overlay a grey/purple, stony boulder clay. The upcast was further investigated with a metal detector. No archaeological features or finds were noted.