2016:000 - John McLaughlin Road, Letterkenny, Donegal

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Donegal Site name: John McLaughlin Road, Letterkenny

Sites and Monuments Record No.: None Licence number: 15E0517

Author: Richard Crumlish

Site type: No archaeology found

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 617064m, N 911818m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.953740, -7.733609

Engineering trial holes were monitored in October 2015 and a portion of the groundworks in January 2016, at the development siteĀ of a new courthouse, located on John McLaughlin Road, off the High Road in Letterkenny, County Donegal. The monitoring was a recommendation contained within the Schedule of Works issued to the construction company by the client (OPW/NDFA). There were no recorded monuments located within or in the vicinity of the proposed development area.

The development was located on the site of a recently demolished swimming pool, which was constructed in the 1960s/70s. The eleven engineering trial holes were located in the swimming pool area, an associated access road and car park and within an adjacent former basketball/tennis court. The trial holes revealed evidence of extensive 20th-century disturbance across the site. As no trial holes were excavated on a steep overgrown south-east facing slope along the north-west side of the site, the monitoring of groundworks in January concentrated on that location. The top of the steep slope covered an area measuring 57m north-east/south-west and 5-31m wide, which sloped gently down from north-west to south-east. The steep slope measured 57m north-east/south-west and c. 7-10m high. Below the topsoil was re-deposited subsoil, natural subsoil and a line of small concrete bases. A number of land drains crossed the area at the top of the slope. The re-deposited subsoil contained modern artefacts. There was little or no evidence of pre-20th century activity here. Nothing of archaeological significance was uncovered during the monitoring.

4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo