County: Mayo Site name: Lowpark, Charlestown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: NA Licence number: 18E0562
Author: Patrick Walsh, Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) Ltd.
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 547474m, N 802300m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.967319, -8.800522
Monitoring commenced in September 2018 at Levy Beg and Lowpark townlands, Charlestown, Co. Mayo as part of the sewerage upgrade in the town of Charlestown. A detection licence (Licence No. 18R0195) was also obtained for the use of a metal detector to enhance the recovery of metal finds.
Monitoring began at the location of the Outfall Pipe on the outskirts of Charlestown. A trench 1.8m wide and c.540m in length was excavated to allow for the treatment pipe. A light brown gravelly topsoil measuring 0.2-0.3m in depth overlay a sandy gravel natural with frequent stone inclusions. The ground became wetter to the north of the field heading towards the existing Waste Water Treatment Plant. Monitoring also took place along the main street at Charlestown. A trench was excavated to receive the new upgraded pipe. The works consisted of cutting the tar road and digging through the road maintenance and subsoil to a depth of 3m at its deepest point. The width of the trench was 0.9m, although there were expansions excavated to accommodate manholes. The upper layer of tar was 0.1–0.15m in depth; an overburden of gravel, mixed redeposited soils and rubble in-fill lay underneath being 0.5–0.6m in depth; terram was also in evidence along the base of the existing road. Underlying the terram was subsoil, a brown silty clay averaging 0.15m in depth. Existing services were observed in the trench opening.
No archaeological features, deposits or artefacts were encountered while monitoring the groundworks associated with the Charlestown Sewerage Scheme.
Unit 1, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, Co. Clare.
