2020:776 - AGHALUSKY, Mayo
County: Mayo
Site name: AGHALUSKY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A
Licence number: E005155; Ministerial Direction No.: A069
Author: Declan Moore
Author/Organisation Address: 3 Gort na Rí, Athenry, Co. Galway
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 517285m, N 791435m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.865764, -9.257581
The author was commissioned by Wills-BAM Joint Venture to undertake a programme of archaeological testing of the site of a proposed temporary topsoil storage area (TTSA) at Aghalusky, Co. Mayo. There are no recorded monuments within the site boundary. The nearest monuments are in adjacent fields – MA078-008– and MA079-001—, classified as an enclosure and rath respectively. The zone of notification for the enclosure is approximately 115m from the western boundary of the site; the rath is in excess of 300m to the north east. Closer to the TTSA, archaeological features were recorded during testing and subsequent excavations as part of the N5 road scheme.
The programme of archaeological testing was carried out on 22 May 2020. Nine test trenches were excavated at the site in generally wet and windy conditions. The trenches were machine-excavated using a backhoe excavator with a 1.9m wide toothless, ditching bucket.
In general the stratigraphy comprised a mid-brown sandy silty topsoil and sod ranging in depth from 200-400mm overlying a natural yellowish gravelly clay subsoil with frequent inclusions of medium-sized stones. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted.