County: Antrim Site name: Ballycastle Waste Water Treatment Plant
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/15/40
Author: Martin McGonigle
Site type: Testing - Prehistoric artefacts
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 712092m, N 940803m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.201741, -6.239134
An excavation programme was undertaken on the site between 23 and 27 of March 2015.
An area measuring 19.5m x 16.5m (totalling 321.75m²) was stripped of topsoil by a 360° mini digger around the linear feature found during testing (AE/14/169), giving at least 10m of clearance around all potential archaeological features encountered. The linear feature [c.05] was identified, along with a number of modern and post-medieval field drains, modern disturbance and backfilling, and discrete features of possible archaeological significance. All potential features, modern disturbance and field drains were evaluated by way of section or sondage. None of these proved to be of archaeological significance. A series of sections were excavated by hand through linear feature [c.05], but no artefacts of archaeological significance were found.
A small number of archaeological artefacts were recovered from the topsoil and during hand cleaning. These included prehistoric flints and medieval pottery sherds. No features or deposits of archaeological significance were uncovered during the excavation.
John Cronin & Associates, 28 Upper Main St, Buncrana, Co. Donegal