County: Sligo Site name: CARNS
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SL014–237 Licence number: 09E0050
Author: Mary Henry, Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd, 17 Staunton Row, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 568123m, N 851672m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.412634, -8.491062
A total of nine test-trenches were opened on the site of a single-house development, located 5km southeast of Sligo town. The site is within the constraint area for an enclosure.
Trenches 1–6 were opened on the footprint of the proposed site whilst Trench 7 tested geophysical anomalies which were identified in the course of an earlier geophysical survey. Trench 8 was not opened, with Trenches 9 and 10 cut from the enclosure bank outwards from the monument. No features were revealed in Trenches 1–7, whilst no enclosing ditch was visible in either Trench 9 or 10.
Even though the site is predominantly on a south-facing, well-drained slope, the closeness to the ground surface of the bedrock, in conjunction with the shallowness of the overlying soils, strongly suggests this location was not conducive to tillage farming; therefore, it is most likely that the main agricultural activity was stock-rearing.
This appears to be the case regarding the circular enclosure situated just west of centre in the southern part of the site. It is located at the southern end of a moderate south-facing slope, with a steep scarp immediately to its south and east, which extends to a large level plateau. It has an internal diameter of 11m and maximum external dimension of 17.6m. The interior is uneven, with a frequent number of stones protruding through the grass, and it predominantly slopes at an angle of c. 15° from north to south, although there is a grass-covered raised area of bedrock in the centre, which may possibly be a hut platform. Some clumps of brambles are also present within the monument. The enclosing element is manifest as a combination of medium stones and a clay bank extant to a maximum height of 0.38m. This monument may be a hut site and not an enclosure as suggested elsewhere. Testing of the geophysical anomaly, with the opening of Trench 7, proved negative regarding archaeological activity and it is considered that these anomalies may have been caused by variations in the underlying natural bedrock.
Similar findings emerged from the neighbouring site to the west, where test investigations revealed no archaeological features and/or remains (Excavations 2007, No. 1525, 07E0693). Equally, no evidence emerged for cultivation including ploughing. As with the site under consideration here, the bedrock was very close to the surface, as shallow as 0.15m below ground level, and there were also pronounced contour levels within the site.
