County: Donegal Site name: Drumlackagh, Creeslough, Letterkenny
Sites and Monuments Record No.: none Licence number: 15E0422
Author: Angela Wallace, Atlantic Archaeology
Site type: none
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 610157m, N 929712m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.114695, -7.840799
Development consists of construction of a 1.15km long and 3.5km wide access road and new entrance off the L5272-1 county road, the installation of a reinforced concrete weir including fish counter in the Lackagh River and construction of a 3m x 2.4m storage hut on the adjacent bank of the Lackagh River, and all associated site works.
The development is located immediately west of Glen Lough and south of the Lackagh river, north Donegal, to the east of the village of Creeslough off the N56. There are no recorded archaeological sites within the footprint of development or within the immediate vicinity.
The proposed access route to the site is partially located along the existing L5272-1, a narrow road leading up the Cashel mountain ridge. There is very little settlement along this route and it leads up to various forestry plantations along the ridge of Cashel Mountain. The access route veers off this road through a forestry plantation on rocky ground with a thin covering of peaty soil for a distance of approximately 500m. Clearing of forestry is underway across very rocky undulating ground along this part of the route. No evidence for any archaeological sites or features is evident in this area.
At the eastern end of the access route near to the Lackagh River ground conditions change dramatically from forestry plantation on rocky scrubland and marsh to several small undisturbed fields of well-drained pastureland and the ruins of two small dry-stone built dwellings of abandoned farm settlements are in evidence.
A programme of testing was carried out across the greenfield portion of the access route in order to determine whether there is any archaeological material present. The route through the green field part of development measures approx. 250m.
A total of five test trenches measuring 20m x 1.6m were excavated. Test trenches were located along the line of proposed access route. All test trenches were excavated to the base of subsoil using a 20-tonne machine with a wide grading bucket.
No evidence for any archaeological deposits, finds or features was encountered during the course of testing.
Pier Road, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo
