2017:538 - KILLALA: Town Plots West, Mayo

Testing was carried out in the area of the proposed development of a road junction within Killala town. The initial method had to be modified to avoid breaching a series of live sewerage pipes across the site. Prior to testing the sod layer had been removed from the site to an estimated depth of 0.1–0.2m revealing a black silty spread interspersed with frequent sea shells, occasional bone and modern glass and pottery.

Test trenching in accessible areas, i.e. away from the sewers, revealed a soft daub original sod layer overlain by an irregular dark silty layer with frequent concentrations of sea shells and occasional animal bones. This was overlain by a relatively modern (19th/early 20th-century) infill layer 1.8m thick to the west of the site adjacent to the main road (R314), 0.4m towards the centre of the area and diminishing further to the east. This fill contained finds dating to the 19th/early 20th century at its lowest level however there were no dateable remains from the lower, dark, shell-rich layer. An arrangement of flat stone flags at the north-east corner of the site may be part of a pathway which occurred immediately below the fill layer and was disturbed at either end by modern sewerage pipes.