County: Longford Site name: ABBEYLARA/AGHABRACK/BALLYBOY/ HIGGINTOWN/RINCOOLAGHA/TONYMORE NORTH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LF010–088, LF011–009, LF011–031, LFO11–037, LF011–038, LF011–039 (vicinity of) Licence number: 09E0015
Author: Dominic Delany, Dominic Delany & Associates, Unit 3, Howley Court, Oranmore, Co. Galway.
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 636854m, N 780589m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.773591, -7.440916
Testing took place in the vicinity of a number of monuments as part of an assessment of the Longford regional water supply scheme. A total of nine trenches were opened, eight of which were located within the Lough Kinale–Rathcronan section of the scheme. Of these eight, two were located in the vicinity of a national monument and required ministerial consent, while the remaining six were opened under this excavation licence. These six trenches were located within the areas of constraint around LF010–088 (barrow), LF011–009 (linear earthwork), LF011–031 (ringfort), LF011–037 (ringfort), LF011–038 (ringfort) and LF011–039 (earthwork). All trenches were located in roads.
Trench 1 was located within the area of constraint around LF011–009, a linear earthwork commonly known as the ^Black Pig’s Dyke’ and thought to be the ancient territorial boundary between Ulster and Leinster. The monument can clearly be seen in the field to the north of the road, where it survives as a raised bank field boundary. The stratigraphy was interrupted by a shallow cut (depth 0.12m) at a point in line with the field boundary/monument. It may therefore represent a remnant of the ditch, severely truncated by the road. No archaeological finds were recovered from the trench.
Trench 4 was located within the area of constraint for LF011–039. Trench 5 was located within the area of constraint for LF011–038. Trench 6 was located within the area of constraint around LF011–037. Trench 7 was located within the area of constraint around LF011–031. Trench 8 was located within the area of constraint around LF010–088. No archaeological material was found in any of these trenches.
