2018:730 - Cloontooa, Caraun, Carrowreagh & Carrowbeg, Mayo

Monitoring of the construction phase of a windfarm development was carried out at Cloontooa, Carrowreagh and Carrowbeg, Co. Mayo between February and September 2018. There are no recorded monuments within the development site boundary but four spreads of burnt material were found during pre-development testing at the site in May-June 2014 (2014:723). The burnt spreads were designed out of consideration by reducing the size of the construction compound and realigning two access roads in the vicinity of Turbine C7.
The excavation of trenches for underground cabling along the grid connection route between Cloontooa and Dalton substation was also monitored. The trench excavations were in the verges of existing public roads apart from a 1km section along a farm track and lands at Cartronacross and Crantahar. Two low-lying green field sites at Caraun and Cartronacross, each measuring approximately 50m², were also stripped of topsoil for use as deposition areas for excess spoil from trench excavations. The cable route passed in the vicinity of five cultural heritage sites identified in the Environmental Impact Assessment including CH5 ‘Sruffakileen Well’ or ‘Tobar Mhuire’, an attractive roadside well at Garryredmond, and CH6, a cluster of fine stone buildings at Caraun. The cultural heritage sites were not impacted by the development.
All excavations associated with the wind farm development and associated grid connection were monitored. No archaeology was found.

Dominic Delany & Associates, Creganna, Oranmore, Co. Galway