County: Derry Site name: Coolshinny, Killyfaddy, Leckagh, Dunamoney, Carraloan, Tullylinkisay, and Killyneese
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: AE/14/232
Author: Fintan Walsh
Site type: Prehistoric, early medieval & post-medieval activity
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 688750m, N 889020m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.741367, -6.621711
Trial Trenching and initial strip/map sample excavation at the A31 Magherafelt Bypass, Co. Londonderry was carried out between 19 January and 3 March 2015. It followed an archaeo-geophysical survey undertaken by Earthsound Archaeological Geophysics under license AE/14/113. Interpretation of the survey results suggested that heritage assets could be present in the form of possible fulachta fiadh, a rectilinear anomaly, an area of pits, four possible enclosures and concentrations of other significant anomalies.
The overall aim of trial trenching was to ascertain the location, nature, date, character, extent and significance of archaeological features or deposits and to perform an adequate amount of investigation so as to reveal the horizontal extent of all discovered archaeological sites/ features/ deposits and the vertical extent of any archaeological stratigraphy. The programme of trial trenching was devised by Mouchel and approved by the HED in October 2014; it comprised 278 20m long and 1.8m wide machine-excavated trenches. In consultation with the HED, additional trenches were excavated, or original trenches extended where necessary, to further assess discovered potential archaeological features. A small number of the 278 trenches could not be excavated due to access issues and/or presence of obstructions.
The aim of the strip/map sample excavation (15 areas) was to target concentrations of geophysical anomalies or previously unexamined areas, which were assigned a high archaeological potential.
Trial trenching and strip/map sample excavation was undertaken within seven townlands: Coolshinny, Killyfaddy, Leckagh, Dunamoney, Carraloan, Tullylinkisay, and Killyneese, comprising 67 individual fields (Fields 1–67).
A total of 11 archaeological sites were discovered during the course of the works (Killyfaddy 1–3, Dunamoney 1, Tullylinkisay 1 and 2, and Killyneese 1–5). The sites were excavated between February and June 2015 under licences issued by the HED and post-excavation is ongoing.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
