2017:329 - Friarspark, Offaly

At the request of Solar PV Ireland, testing was undertaken in the townland of Friarspark (6th Division) to the west of the town of Trim, Co. Meath. The site is occupied by fields that were under tillage at the time of testing.

There are seven archaeological monuments within 1.5km of the proposed development. This development consists of a solar farm, comprising rows of solar photovoltaic panels known as arrays. The Solar Farm will be comprised of approximately 16,000 solar panels in total, with a surface area of approximately 31,000m² and an export electrical capacity of up to 4 megawatts (MW). The development will also comprise a substation building, 2 inverter/transformer cabins, 2 battery enclosures, associated cabling and ducting, site entrance, access tracks, 2m high boundary security fencing, CCTV, hardstanding area and ancillary works. The development site area is approximately 9.7ha.

Testing was completed in one day in September 2017. A total of seven trenches were excavated. These were positioned to investigate potential features identified during geophysical survey (Licence no. 17R0153). Archaeological features were confirmed in the northern field of the proposed development. Four archaeological features, two pits (and their associated fills) and two deposits (which should not be discounted as pits) were recorded. The features were first encountered in the middle of Trench 1 at 25.6m chainage from the trench’s western extent; an extension of the trench was opened on its northern and southern limits measuring 7.5m east to west by 6.2m to the trench’s north and 4.6m square to the trench’s south. The extension commenced at 24.6m chainage. The extent of the feature(s) was identified in plan and a section was excavated through two of them to ascertain depth. Modern plough marks heavily truncated the extended trench area. The features are likely to derive from the waste product of burning/cooking activity related to a Fulacht Fiadh or similar in the immediate vicinity.

A circular buffer of 25m radius was defined around the centre-point of the features identified in Trench 1 to allow for the preservation in situ of these features. The site of the proposed construction compound was relocated outside the buffer. It was also recommended that the soil strip for the new location of the proposed construction compound would be subject to archaeological monitoring in advance of the development.

No archaeological features were identified in the trenches excavated in the southern field of the proposed development which will be contain the solar PV arrays. No further archaeological mitigation was required for the southern field.

2 St Brendan Street, Birr