County: Cavan Site name: Raragh
Sites and Monuments Record No.: CV029-011 & CV029-012 Licence number: 14E0131
Author: Mary Henry
Site type: Ringfort
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 498445m, N 577295m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.927870, -6.822293
Pre-construction testing was undertaken of a proposed windfarm at Raragh, Kingscourt. Testing works were undertaken as part of an overall archaeological appraisal of the site , including a geophysical survey, pursuant to granted planning permission.
Planning permission has been obtained to build five wind turbines and a sub-station, lay new internal access roads, upgrade an existing farm track/boreen, lay underground cable linking the turbines with the sub-station building, lay a 20 Kv cable route from the sub-station to the public road and undertake any other required associated site works.
CV029-011 and CV029-012 lie within the confines of the development. In addition, there are a number of recorded monuments within the vicinity of the windfarm site. Of the seven recorded monuments within or the vicinity of the windfarm site, six are classified as ringforts.
In total fourteen test trenches were opened on the site. Of these, ten were sited to investigate the provenance of a number of anomalies/trends identified by geophysical survey whilst the remaining four were positioned along the 20 Kv cable line. The testing of the anomalies identified in the geophysical survey confirmed there were not of an archaeological nature. They proved to be modern land drains, cultivation furrows, ploughed-out field boundaries and variation in the natural deposited soil.
Four test trenches were opened along the line of the 20 Kv cable route. This route will predominantly extend through two areas of modern plantation. This area appears to have been marginal land at best and recently reclaimed. All four of these trenches proved totally devoid of features.
Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd, 17 Staunton Row, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
