County: Roscommon Site name: Cloonkille
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 16E0283 Ext.
Author: Tamlyn McHugh
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 0m, N 0m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.426486, -8.022464
Fadó Archaeology were commissioned to carry out a programme of archaeological monitoring at Cloonkille Co. Roscommon. The proposed development works comprised the demolition of the single-storey school and the construction of a new 16-classroom two-storey school, car park and play areas together with all associated site works and landscaping and connection to existing public services covering an area of 1.5 acres. The development site is roughly rectangular shaped, narrowing to the north-west where it is bounded by a minor road. The ground surface slopes gently from south-east to north-west.
Monitoring took place on 14 July 2016. The grass covered sod and topsoil was mechanically stripped from the site from east to west and deposited in a large mound in the southern area of the site. The soil cover averaged 0.4m of rich dark brown clayey silt topsoil over a dark orange boulder clay with occasional occurrences of gravel and sand. The stratigraphy was uniform across the entire site. There were moderate occurrences of roots close to the tree lined northern boundary of the site. In the north-west area of the site there were occasional deposits of naturally occurring sandy gravel. The land across the majority of the site was well-drained and the conditions were dry during the course of the work. No material of an archaeological nature was found during the course of the monitoring works.
Fadó Archaeology, 17 Cooldrumman Upper, Carney, Co. Sligo
