2015:119 - POMEROY: Cregganconroe and Tremoge Top, Tyrone

A programme of monitoring was undertaken for the construction of Cregganconroe wind farm at Cregganconroe and Tremoge Top townlands, Pomeroy, County Tyrone. Fieldwork took place from 16 September 2014 through to 16 February 2015. Monitoring took 5 months in total to complete, and machines fitted with flat grading buckets carried out all excavation.

Development works associated with the construction of the wind farm consisted of the excavation of new access tracks, the upgrading of existing site tracks and associated cabling, and the excavation of five crane hardstand areas and two site compound areas. Planning permission [K/2006/0242/F] was also received for the construction of a sub-station compound, an equipment cabin, and an anemometer mast. The sub-station area was not excavated, while the equipment cabin and anemometer mast site was relocated to a new area, south-east of its original location.

Monitoring revealed sand and gravel, a dark organic sandy peat topsoil, and peat sealing in situ geologically deposited strata. Above ground features were revealed as a result of field walking, and these were monitored while site development works were ongoing.

Possible upstanding remains of a cairn were located 60m south-east of Turbine 3, and c. 6m to the immediate north of the newly constructed segment of access track en route to Turbine 3. Given the elevated position of the feature and the number of recorded prehistoric sites within the immediate and wider area, it is possible that this feature is archaeological in nature.

A 19th-century farmstead and corn kiln were both identified in-situ within the development site. Both features are located on the first edition OS map, and it appears they were coeval and part of a larger farmstead complex. The initial wind farm development followed the route of an existing 3m wide track from Turbine 4 to Turbine 2; this route, if developed, would have resulted in the destruction of both the rural farmstead and corn kiln. In order to preserve the remains of the farmstead and kiln in situ, the proposed wind farm access track was moved.

Directly west of Turbine 2 a rock feature was located on the OS map and was identified, along with a cluster of stone features, in field survey undertaken by Joseph Nunan. The rock formation and stone features were located on an elevated ridge, c. 10m to 15m from the Turbine 2 complex, and may be archaeological in nature; supporting this interpretation is the fact that they are located within the wider archaeological mountain landscape of the development area and sited at an old townland boundary. At the time of monitoring, an existing access track ran alongside the edge of the rock formation. The proposed construction of the Turbine 2 hardstand, and the development of the proposed access track to Turbine 2, following the route of the existing track, would have resulted in the destruction of the rock formation, stone features, and elevated ridge. Therefore, the route of the proposed access track to Turbine 2 was altered and moved c. 8m to 10m to the east to avoid the rock and stone features.

No archaeological features, structures, or monuments were impacted upon by site development works or site ground works, and plans were altered in order to avoid any and all direct impacts on the known or identified features, structures, or monuments located within the path of the development.

All monitoring was carried out as per the recommendations of the Archaeological Programme of Works.