2010:185 - Drumboy, Donegal

Test-trenching, lasting three days, was carried out at Drumboy, Lifford, Co. Donegal. The development will involve the construction of 44 detached and semi-detached dwellings and associated site works including car-parking, play areas, a landscaped amenity area, a foul treatment plant, a pumping station and connection to an existing public sewer located on the N14. The main area of land-take measured approximately 280m maximum north-east/south- west by on average 110m. The access road measured approximately 350m x 11m.
The excavation of seven test-trenches located throughout the proposed housing development and greenfield amenity areas revealed three features, two pits and a charcoal spread. Two features, C4 and C7, were revealed in Trench 3 at the western end of the development area. C4 was located 89m from the southern end of the trench, and C7 was located 14m north of C4. C4 was revealed as a small pit extending beyond the western extent of the trench. It extended into the trench for a maximum length of 0.87m, and it is tentatively suggested that this exposed length may represent approximately half of the pit. It was sealed by topsoil, cut natural geology and was truncated by a modern drain on its southern side. C4 measured 0.45m wide at the base and 0.5m wide at the top in the east-facing section. It had a sharp break at top and bottom, with regular sloping sides and a slightly irregular base. The base of the pit showed evidence of in situ burning. The primary fill was 60mm deep and was a loose charcoal-rich deposit. It was sealed by a loose burnt black clay with a maximum exposed depth of 0.22m, with occasional small charcoal fragments, occasional very small burnt bone fragments and occasional small 30–50mm heat-shattered stone. No dating evidence was revealed in either fill.
C7 was a subcircular, possibly plough-damaged, faint charcoal spread. It measured 0.3m east–west x 0.26m and had a maximum depth of 30mm. It contained moderate 20mm long charcoal flecks but there was no evidence of in situ burning of the natural geology. An unburnt flat stone, measuring 0.16m in length x 0.1m in width x 20mm thick, was at the base of the spread and this rested directly on natural geology. No dating evidence was recovered from the spread.
A pit (C8) was located 73m from the southern end of Trench 8 and was revealed extending beyond the western edge of the trench. The east-facing section measured 1.85m in length and it extended in to the trench for a distance of 0.6m. It was sealed by topsoil and cut natural geology. C8 had a sharp break at the top and gradual at the bottom, with regular sloping sides and a rounded, slightly irregular base. It had a maximum depth of 0.37m. The single fill was a friable light-brown slightly sticky clay with occasional charcoal flecks and occasional small stones evenly distributed. No dating evidence was revealed in the fill.
In the remainder of the test-trenches topsoil directly sealed geologically deposited strata. Modern insubstantial clay-filled field drains, along with modern ploughmarks, were recorded throughout the test-trenching area.