2009:603 - CLOONACURRY AND LOUGHANBOY, Mayo

Pre-development testing was carried out between 20 April and 12 May 2009 at a site at Cloonacurry and Loughanboy townlands, Bekan, Co. Mayo. The proposed development consisted of the construction of a centre of excellence for the training and development of Gaelic games for the province of Connacht. Pre-development testing was required due to the size of the proposed development area at c. 60 acres.
The site consisted of pastureland and was drained by a stream and drainage channels located along many of the field boundaries. In the eastern half of the area near the northern site boundary was a disused two-storey dwelling and associated outhouses dating to the 19th or early 20th century.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of 41 trenches. The trenches varied between 29.8m and 142.8m in length, 0.8–2.0m in width and 0.2–1.6m in depth. Testing uncovered natural undisturbed stratigraphy in 29 of the 41 trenches. Modern land/field drains were revealed in eight trenches, while fill found in two further trenches appeared to be the result of field clearance having been used to fill in a depression, which may have been the result of small-scale quarrying there.
A burnt spread (NGC 143664 281102) was uncovered in one of the trenches near the northern site boundary. It crossed the trench at 6m from its south-south-west end and measured 0.6–1.5m wide. It was visible 0.15–0.2m below the surface and consisted of heat-shattered stone and burnt soil with charcoal visible. Following consultation, it was decided that the feature should be fully excavated. The immediate area around the feature was stripped using a machine with a toothless bucket. This area measured 7.6m west-north-west/east-south-east by 3.6–4m wide. This revealed the full extent of the feature at 1.6m north-north-east/south-south-west by 1.4m. It was found directly below topsoil and consisted of blackened soil with an amount of heat-shattered small rocks and occasional charcoal and peat. It measured up to 0.2m thick. Below the feature the subsoil contained occasional heat-shattered rocks and charcoal flecks and contained a small number of small cavities. There was no evidence for a trough and no artefacts were recovered.
The bank and ditch of an enclosure were uncovered in a trench near the eastern site boundary. The bank (NGC 143992 280816), which was orientated north-north-east/south-south-west, crossed the trench at 4m from its east end at 0.15–0.2m below the surface and measured 0.55m wide and 0.6m high internally. The ditch (NGC 143995 280815), which was located immediately east of the bank, measured 1.9m wide and 0.6–0.75m deep and was filled with grey/brown friable silt loam with a moderate amount of small fist-sized rocks. The ditch was cut into grey firm boulder clay. The measurement from the top of the bank to the base of the ditch was 1.8m.
The proposed development will avoid the enclosure, with an exclusion zone of 20m to be established around it, inside which no groundworks are to be permitted.