2016:160 - Aghanagh, Sligo

The test excavation of a site in advance of its development at Aghanagh townland, on the shore of Lough Arrow, c. 1km north-north-east of Ballinafad in County Sligo, was carried out on 16 February and 8 March 2016. The development consisted of the demolition of a dwelling house and associated outbuildings and the construction of a new house and detached stable block with proprietary sewerage treatment plant and percolation area. Testing, which was a condition of planning permission, was required due to the proximity of the site to a possible church (SL040-236) which was located in a copse of trees in the south-east of the development site. A geophysical survey (Consent number 11R35) carried out by GeoArc Ltd. in June 2011 identified a number of anomalies of possible archaeological significance in an area of overgrown pasture along the lake shore at the southern end of the site.

Testing consisted of the excavation of eight trenches located to best cover the area of the proposed development and to investigate the anomalies identified by the Geophysical Survey. The trenches measured 30.4m, 38m, 40.2m, 44m, 28.7m, 18m, 17.6m and 14.5m long respectively; 1.8-2.2m wide and 0.1-0.7m deep. Testing revealed evidence of the 20th-century dwelling and associated features in four of the trenches, i.e. topsoil, tarmac, gravel, concrete, foundations and re-deposited topsoil; above natural subsoils and bedrock. A fifth trench revealed natural undisturbed stratigraphy with topsoil found above natural subsoils. The remaining three trenches focused on the geophysical anomalies. One of the anomalies was the result of modern fill associated with the lawn of the recently demolished house. Further anomalies were accounted for by changes in the natural subsoil and by the presence of a land drain. There was no physical evidence for two of the anomalies. Nothing of archaeological significance was in evidence.

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