County: Roscommon Site name: Demesne, Castlerea
Sites and Monuments Record No.: R0026–036 Licence number: 10E0151
Author: Mary Henry, Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd, 17 Staunton Row, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Site type: Post-medieval trackway
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 568837m, N 779597m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.765044, -8.472638
Further to granted planning permission to build a Delivery Services Unit building and car-parking, testing was undertaken on a site located on the eastern outskirts of Castlerea town. The site is in close proximity to an earthwork site.
Seven trenches were opened within the perimeter of the site, on both the imprint of the proposed building and car-park. It could be seen that this site had partially been infilled within spoil.
Two features were revealed during testing; the first was a large, deep, circular pit, whilst the second comprised a raised linear feature extending north-east/south-west across a test-trench, which had previously been observed upon the ground surface. It was considered that one of the features was of modern provenance and was probably the result of geotechnical testing. The other feature, the remains of a trackway, was of an earlier date. It began near the quarried area to the east of the site and appeared to have exited close to the south-western boundary. It was therefore considered this track provided access to the quarry at some point in the 19th century and may have continued in use throughout the last century.
