2020:226 - Carrick Lower/An Charraig Íochtarach, Donegal

The subject area at Carrick Lower, Co. Donegal was located in a mature forestry plantation due for felling. The existing forestry road which provides access to the plantation is located 10m north of DG090-007---- Standing Stone. A 10m buffer zone was maintained to prevent any access by machinery and deposition of material in proximity to the monument during the site works.
The existing forestry road was overgrown with vegetation, to facilitate access for machinery during the tree felling this road was reinstated. In tandem with this an area north-west of the road was stripped of vegetation and topsoil; this area will accommodate vehicles turning and the loading of felled trees.
Monitoring of topsoil stripping took place on 18 September 2020. The topsoil was stripped to the underlying existing road surface and to the underlying natural substrate in the vehicle turning/loading area using a mechanical excavator equipped with a 1.8m-wide toothless bucket.
Approximately 150m of existing road surface was mechanically stripped of overburden. The road measured 3.4m wide and was covered in a layer of stone material to create a new surface. A shallow drainage channel was opened through the road east of the standing stone. A further 30m turning spur to the west of the upper section of the forest road was mechanically excavated. The peat cover was 0.75m deep on the north-east side of this area and thinned over the rising bedrock and natural glacial erratics, to a depth of just 0.1m in places. The turning area was covered in a level surface of stone.
No finds or features of an archaeological nature were noted during the removal of topsoil in road or turning area.

Cooldrumman Upper, Carney, Co. Sligo