2019:224 - WHITEGATE/AGHADA, Cork
County: Cork
Site name: WHITEGATE/AGHADA
Sites and Monuments Record No.: CO088-101, CO088-033001-3, CO088-03
Licence number: 19E0157
Author: Yvonne Whitty
Author/Organisation Address: Unit 10 Riverside Business Centre, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 183292m, N 62363m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.826200, -8.232200
Irish Water is progressing sewerage schemes at untreated towns/villages in Cork as part of its UTAS programme and to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities at Whitegate and Aghada in Co. Cork. The works are broken into two routes, one at Whitegate which runs north-east and south-west of the village and one route which runs between Aghada and Rostellan.
A total of 12 Slit Trenches and 12 Test Pits were excavated at Whitegate. The SI works were excavated through existing road surfaces and grass.
The closest Recorded Monument impacted by the works in the vicinity of Whitegate is a ‘mound’ CO088-101. This mound is not visible today but is visible on the 1935 map as circular in plan with a diameter of 15m. There was no trace of the mound or ditches within the fill of a Slit Trench which was located within the constraint area for the mound.
Three test pits and two slit trenches were excavated in the constraint area of a cluster of three sites which are within 50m of the proposed works, two graveyards and a church site CO088-033001-3. No finds or features of archaeological significance were exposed in any of the trenches.
A holy well called Angel’s Well, CO088-03, on the first (1886) and third edition 1935 OS mapping, is located 14m west of the road where the scheme will run. The works will not directly impact upon the holy well however Slit Trenches were excavated in the constraint area for this site. Bedrock was exposed at a depth of 0.5m below the road surface.
A total of 16 Slit Trenches and 26 Test Pits were excavated between Aghada and Rostellan. The SI works were excavated through existing road surfaces and grass. Historical analysis suggests that the village of Aghada may originally date back to the early medieval or Viking period of settlement in Ireland. The current village of Aghada appears to have developed around 1710 with the development of CO088-035002, a church, and its associated graveyard, CO088-035001. The majority of the period dwellings within the village date to between 1810 and 1880.
No RMP sites were impacted upon by the SI works and the results of the monitoring confirmed that the location of the proposed pipe route is through ground that has been disturbed in recent times from existing services. No finds or features of archaeological significance were exposed in any of the ST or TCTP trenches.