2013:620 - BALLYHOWLY, Knock, Mayo

Archaeological monitoring of topsoil stripping was carried out in order to fulfil planning requirements for an extension to a quarry at Ballyhowly, Knock, Co. Mayo. The area to be stripped consisted of two acres of scrubland at the edge of an existing quarry to the west and north-west.

The stratigraphy of the site was very simple, with sod/topsoil ranging in depth between 0.19m and 0.4m (max.) lying directly onto subsoil. The topsoil consisted of a moderately loose, mid-brown silty loam with virtually no stones or any other inclusions. The subsoil comprised moderately compact, light brown/orange silty clay with isolated pockets of fractured limestone stones and light grey/white gritty clay; the latter was sometimes associated with a reddish brown mineral staining resembling iron panning. There were a few (<10) large boulders at the interface between topsoil and subsoil. By examining the section face of the adjacent quarry it could be seen that the subsoil lay directly onto the limestone bedrock.

No archaeological features, finds or deposits were identified during the course of archaeological monitoring.