County: Westmeath Site name: Fore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WM04:035 Licence number: E4421 and E4463
Author: Jacinta Kiely, Eachtra Archaeological Projects Ltd
Site type: Historic town of Fore
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 650939m, N 770529m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.682003, -7.228922
Ministerial consent (E4421 for OPW managed lands and E4463 for all other lands) was granted by the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht (DAHG) for enhancement and improvement works to the public amenity area at Fore, Co. Westmeath.
Monitoring was undertaken on an intermittent basis in Fore in September 2014 and January 2015. The works comprised the following work on OPW managed and non-OPW managed lands:
(1) The insertion of new fencing posts in the field on either side of the tree-lined rear entrance to Fore Abbey (WM004-035010) and the northern perimeter of Fore Abbey.
(2) The removal of the north-west half of the green area to the east of the existing car park for Fore Abbey.
(3) The excavation of a trench for ducting relating to new public lights on the southern side of the public road outside St Feichín's Church (WM004-035003).
In September 2014 monitoring of the construction of a new wooden post-and-rail fence, located in the field on both sides of the tree-lined rear entrance to Fore Abbey, was undertaken. It was decided, in agreement with Westmeath County Council, the OPW and the DAHG, to extend this fence to the rear (north) of the abbey and to replace the existing farm fence which was a mixture of wooden posts, sheep wire and 3 strands of barbed wire. The fencing contractor used a large drill bit to auger each of the fence-post locations in advance of the posts being driven into the ground by machine. Each of the post-pads was augered to a depth of c. 0.4m in the presence of the archaeologist. The posts were spaced at 2.1m intervals. The soil on both sides of the tree-lined rear entrance to Fore Abbey was a black brown sandy clay. The soil to the north of the abbey was a coarse sandy brown clay. No bedrock was encountered by the auger during testing. There was little variation in the subsoil tested by the auger and no trace was recorded of any artefacts or archaeological stratigraphy.
In January 2015 monitoring was undertaken of the excavation of a narrow trench for new public lights outside St Féichín's Church. The trench was dug by machine on the south side of the public road to the immediate north of the church. The trench (c. 0.6m wide x 0.7m deep) extended from the west limit of the Fore Abbey car park to the east limit of the graveyard wall. The topsoil overlay a brown grey sandy clay at the west end of the trench. The subsoil recorded at the entrance steps to the graveyard was a grey sandy clay. Natural springs filled the base of the trench with water in this location. Solid bedrock was recorded for a distance of c. 20m to the east of the entrance steps. The subsoil changed again at the east end of the graveyard to a yellow-brown sandy clay. It was initially planned to extend the trench across the public road but an existing water drain was utilised. No archaeological stratigraphy, features or artefacts were recorded within the length of the trench.
A total of 120m square of topsoil was removed by machine from the west half of the green area to the east of the existing car park for Fore Abbey. It was removed to allow a new cobble-lock surface to be laid in this area. The topsoil had been brought into the green area to level it when the car park and green area were initially constructed. No archaeological stratigraphy, features or artefacts were recorded in the area of the carpark.
Lickybeg, Clashmore, Co. Waterford P36 WA44
