2019:151 - Bóthar An Corran, Sligo

Monitoring was carried out at Bóthar an Corran, Ballymote, Co. Sligo in June 2019. Monitoring took place within the Zone of Archaeological Potential for the historic road/trackway (SL033-145) which dates to the medieval period, located along the Bóthar An Corran Scheme. The works involved opening small trenches to facilitate the use of the drilling machine to install connections to existing households. A number (c.15) of small openings generally 1m by 0.9m and 1m in depth were excavated above existing services. The largest cut openings were at either end of the road along Bóthar An Corran. Two trenches to the south-east of the scheme at the crossroads close to the townland of Corhober were excavated. The first trench was L-shaped and measured 1.8m by 1.8m, 1m in depth. A second trench, also L-shaped, was opened and measured 6m by 1.3m and 1m in depth. The stratigraphy for both trenches was similar. Beneath the street surface, the ground consisted of the material used to backfill the trench for the existing water main. Beneath these deposits there was a very fine light orange brown clayey sand. The remaining openings were excavated at intervals along the road heading north-west towards the town of Ballymote. The openings varied slightly in dimensions but were generally 2m by 1.8m, large enough to facilitate the use of the drilling machine. The stratigraphy was generally consistent in these cut openings, being a dark-brown clayey coarse sand. An opening was excavated along the road verge located to the south-west of the road for a domestic household service. This small trench was composed of a dark black topsoil fill overlaying a darker marrell type subsoil. It was 1m by 1m in diameter and approximately 1m in depth. No potential archaeological features or deposits were noted in these trenches.

Unit 1, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, Co. Clare