2015:190 - GLENTANEMACELLIGOT, GLENNAKEEL WEST, GLENNAKEEL SOUTH AND GLENNAMUCKLAGH WEST, Cork

Monitoring of groundworks associated with the construction of an extension to a windfarm at Glentanemacelligot, Rockchapel, Newmarket, Co. Cork was undertaken in the latter part of 2014. Brookfield Renewable Energy Group constructed five turbines as part of windfarm extension at Glentanemacelligot. Prior to these works 35 turbines had been erected within Glentanemacelligot and the nearby Knockacummer area. The ground works associated with the construction of the 35 wind turbines and ancillary site works across two blocks of land were monitored under Licence No. 13E191 in 2013.

The Windfarm Extension site was situated close to the Cork/Kerry/Limerick county border, c. 14km west-north-west of the town of Newmarket and located at the southern end of the Mullaghereirk Mountains. There are no recorded monuments within the confines of the windfarm extension site with the nearest, a lime kiln (CO013-032), c. 700m to the north of one of the turbine locations.

Monitoring was undertaken of ground works associated with the construction of five turbines, laying internal access roads, opening borrow pits, trenching for underground cabling linking the turbines and other required sub-surface ground works. No archaeological remains were uncovered.

The stratigraphy was relatively consistent across the site. Peat deposits were an ever-present part of the stratigraphy, although it varied in depth from 0.2-0.5m. At the interface between the peat and the natural deposition there tended to be a layer comprising a soft greyish yellow/orange sandy clay with frequent small and medium stone inclusions. This sandy clay had an average thickness of 0.2m. The underlying natural deposition comprised a high silicate clay with frequent stone (shale) inclusions.