2019:308 - Cahircalla More, Ennis, Clare

Cuan an Chláir Housing Association has developed part of the Cahircalla Hospital property to accommodate sheltered housing units and a day care facility for the elderly. This initial development is now complete and Cuan an Chláir is proceeding with a second phase of development. The Phase 2 development involves the restoration and conversion of the coach yard and stabling block to accommodate more sheltered housing units. It is also intended to erect a terrace of four housing units along the western boundary of the site. The Phase 2 development will also require extensions to the existing road network and all associated services. This Phase 2 development partially encroaches into the constraint area around the Ringfort site CL033-171.
Monitoring took place in advance of construction on 14 October. Monitoring was confined to the area where groundworks associated with the construction of the 4 terraced houses encroached into the 20m buffer zone. A Heras fence was erected as a fixed barrier between the development and the RMP site and buffer zone. This will remain in place until the completion of the Phase 2 development.
Topsoil was stripped from the western boundary of the development site along the line of the Heras fence to include the footprint of the terrace, parking area and access from the road. The topsoil strip showed the soil cover to be quite thin overlying surface outcrops of karst limestone from the western boundary extending eastwards. The soil cover became deeper as the monitoring extended to the east. Throughout the topsoil strip, pockets of agricultural and household waste were unearthed.
No archaeology was found.

Phase 1 testing was undertaken by Red Tobin under licence 09E0170.

35 Brook Meadow, Avoca, Co Wicklow