2016:520 - Kilkilloge, Mullaghmore, Sligo

The proposed development, the construction of an extension of 67 sqm, to the north-east facing elevation of an existing house, is located in the townland of Kilkilloge, Mullaghmore, Co Sligo. There is one known site of archaeological interest in the near vicinity to the development, Sl023-023, listed as ‘cross inscribed pillar – original location’ on the Record of Monuments and Places, with the cartographic evidence suggesting that the location was in the field in to the immediate south-east of the proposed development, however the associated zone of archaeological potential encompasses the proposed development. The cross inscribed pillar and the name of the townland, ‘Kilkilloge’, may be significant, in that the townland name is thought to be derived from Cill Cuarog or Cill Ceallog either Cuarog or Ceallog’s Church. It is possible that somewhere within the townland, possibly close to the proposed development, are the buried remains of a potentially early church site.

Some 75m to the north-west is the site of a 19th-century watch tower, currently reused as a house. It is noted on the Record of Protected Structures for Co. Sligo as Classiebawn Watch Tower and on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as a building of historical interest.

Archaeological works took place in February 2016, and consisted of monitoring the removal of on average 0.3m of topsoil across the entire footprint of the proposed extension and associated new service lines. The work was carried out using machine equipped with a wide toothless bucket. Subsoil, which was noted over much of the northern half of the site, consisted of a compacted, yellow brown stony glacial till. This natural subsoil sloped gently down from west to east, in response to the general lie of the surrounding land. The southern side of the site was disturbed by the previous insertion of a service line, which ran north from the existing house for 2m before turning east and heading in the direction of a road-side telegraph pole.

Only one feature of archaeological interest was noted, a sub-circular shallow pit, some 1.2m in diameter and a maximum of 20mm in depth . The full extent is unknown as its southern edge was truncated by the insertion of the modern service line. The edges of the feature were well defined with the base forming a shallow bowl. The fill consisted of an homogenous dark grey, charcoal stained, relatively stone-free clay silt. The base of the pit was unburnt and showed no evidence of heat scorching suggesting that the pit was not a hearth. No dating evidence was found and there was insufficient charcoal flecking to obtain a radiocarbon date. Nothing else of archaeological interest was noted.

AHC Ltd, 36 Ballywillwill Road, Castlewellan, Co. Down