County: Roscommon Site name: CURRINAH/BOHALAS/BOCKAGH/ TOOBRACKAN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 09E0475
Author: Nial O’Neill, Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd, Unit 25, Liosbaun Industrial Estate, Tuam Road, Galway.
Site type: Burnt-mound deposits, pits, post-holes and linear features
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 587491m, N 764214m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.627591, -8.189096
Testing as part of the advance works on the N5 Ballaghaderreen bypass was carried out on behalf of Roscommon County Council and the National Roads Design Office in September and October 2009. The scheme runs from Currinah townland in the west to Rathkeery townland in the east. The testing programme included sixteen areas (A–P), with the present licence relating to areas A–F, starting in Currinah townland and traversing in a general southeast direction to Magheraboy townland; the remaining areas (G–P) were covered under licence 09E0476 (excavated by Tara Doyle, see No. 688 above). Areas A–F revealed two burnt-mound deposits, one in Bockagh, with the second in Toobracken, a group of probable pits and post-holes in Toobracken and a number of probable linear features in Toobracken.
Four areas of archaeological potential were identified during the course of testing (one in Area C and three in Area F). These included a burnt mound that measured 12.5m north–south by 10.2m and c. 0.7m in height in Bockagh (Area C) and a second burnt-mound deposit in Toobracken (Area F) that measured 10m in length north-east/south-west, 2m in maximum width and 0.2m in depth. Also uncovered in Area F were six features in the northwest end of the area and two possible linear features in the north-east corner of the area. A ringfort, RO008–023, was located towards the northern end of Area F but was outside the road-take. The features uncovered in the northern end of Area F may relate to this monument.
