2018:879 - Kilbegley, Roscommon

Archaeological testing was carried out on the site of a proposed cemetery extension at Kilbegley, Co. Roscommon on 20 June 2018. The site is located west of RO054-027, an ecclesiastical site comprising a church (-001), graveyard (-002) and ecclesiastical enclosure (-003). A previous geophysical survey carried out on the plot of land immediately west of the existing graveyard identified the line of the ecclesiastical enclosure running outside and adjacent to the west boundary wall (LGS, 2015). Consequently the lands immediately bordering the graveyard boundary wall were excluded from development and efforts were focused on a plot further west. A geophysical survey of this site identified the remains of known and suspected 19th-century gravel pits and clusters of anomalies of uncertain origin around the edges of the pits (Earthsound, 2016). The Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht recommended archaeological testing.
Testing comprised the excavation of four trenches extending north-east/south-west across the site. The trenches were positioned to test the entire site as well as targeting the principal anomalies identified in the geophysical survey. The trenches were located at 10m intervals and averaged 85m long and 1.8m wide. The stratigraphy was consistent across the tested area. The topsoil comprised 0.2-0.3m of loose light grey/brown silty sand with frequent small stones. On the high ground in the north-east of the site the topsoil overlay grey medium sand and gravel with frequent stone inclusions. On the lower-lying ground in the south-west the topsoil overlay light orange/brown silty sand subsoil with moderate stone inclusions. Several backfilled gravel pits and some linear features were uncovered during testing. All features were investigated and found to be non-archaeological. No archaeology was found.

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