2010:309 - Magheramenagh, Fermanagh

This evaluation relates to the proposed development of a caravan park on lands at Magheramenagh near Belleek in County Fermanagh. The proposed development will consist of a 30-bay caravan park with utility and reception blocks. The caravan park will include access roads with services running along these roads. A drainage/treatment works will be sited to the south of the utility and reception blocks, while the north-east extent of the development will be set aside as open area green space.
The proposed development is located within an archaeologically sensitive area with four recorded archaeological sites located within approximately 1km of the site. One of these sites is located directly adjacent to the west of the proposed development. This is a poorly preserved rath (FER171–004), which consists of an almost circular interior measuring 29m by 26.5m. It is defined by a low stone and earth bank measuring 3.7m wide by 0.8m above an enclosing ditch which measures 2.5m wide by 0.2m deep. A site visit by the Queen’s University of Belfast Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork also revealed traces of a possible external bank and ditch to the east of the rath, suggesting that the site may be bivallate.
Testing took place in stages, as dictated by the different phases of the development. The first phase took place on 27 April 2010 when the area of the utility and reception blocks was topsoil-stripped under supervision. The second phase related to the widening of the entrance to the existing access laneway. This work was carried out on 4 May 2010. Nothing of archaeological significance was uncovered during monitoring of either phase of work.
The remainder of the testing took place over two days (4–5 June) and consisted of a trenching regime excavated across the majority of the site. This initially consisted of ten test-trenches, although this was altered due to conditions on the ground. The proposed development is located on ground to the immediate north of the River Erne and is orientated approximately west-south-west to east-north-east. This ground was noted on cartographic sources as being quite marginal and the excavation of Trench 1 adjacent to the north boundary of the proposed development revealed underlying peat deposits up to 1.5m deep. Given these conditions, it was decided for reasons of health and safety to excavate a series of test-pits along the lines of the proposed trenches rather than open up continuous trenches at this depth.
Ground conditions were found to be more favourable to the south and east and trenching was carried out within these areas as proposed within the archaeological mitigation.
Testing within the site revealed nothing of archaeological significance.