County: Roscommon Site name: Church Hill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: RO007-038 Licence number: 19E0066
Author: Mary Henry
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 591587m, N 803224m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.978220, -8.128251
building of a new road and entranced into an existing forest plantation. The site is located c. 5km north-west of Carrick-on-Shannon. It is within the area of archaeological potential around an ecclesiastical remains incorporating a church, bullaun stone, ecclesiastical enclosure and burials.
The programme of trenches was, in the main, determined by the results from an archaeo-geophysical survey undertaken in late 2018. This survey assessed the most southern 160m of the proposed road and also extended within the confines of the archaeological monument. Four test trenches were opened, three of which were sited on the geophysical anomalies whilst the other one was opened in an area that identified no anomalies in the survey.
Findings from the archaeo-geophysical survey suggested that certain anomalies may have an archaeological provenance and could be associated with the ecclesiastical remains. In the southern part of the field, where the monument is sited, extensive evidence emerged for ploughing activity. The nature of the ploughing, criss-crossing, suggested such activity may be of historic provenance and not of modern origin. Trench No. 1 was located in this area to investigate further such activity. A gap was identified in the archaeo-geophysical survey in this ploughing activity, by the presence of an anomaly aligned partly north-west/south-east before turning west-east to the ruined church. It was suggested by the author of the survey that this may be a path/trackway leading to the church. Trench No. 2 was opened in the area of the gap within the potential ploughing. No trace emerged for such ploughing activity but it is likely it may have been sealed by the subsoil which was not removed during the testing works. The subsoil level exposed in these two trenches proved to be a suitable formation level for the proposed road. Nothing was discernible regarding the gap identified in the potential ploughing activity.
Located c. 130m to the north of the public road, two parallel fragmented anomalies were revealed in the geophysical survey. Trench No. 4 was opened on these anomalies to determine their provenance. Two features were revealed in this trench. Both functioned as stone drains draining a very wet field and in all likelihood feeding into the drain which extends along the field's western boundary. Trench No. 3 was devoid of any activity.
17 Staunton Row, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
