County: Mayo Site name: Claggarnagh East
Sites and Monuments Record No.: NA Licence number: E005158; Ministerial Direction No.: A069
Author: Declan Moore
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 508470m, N 786651m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.821307, -9.390136
The author was commissioned by Wills-BAM Joint Venture to undertake a programme of archaeological testing of the site of a proposed external depositional area (EDA05) at Claggarnagh, Co. Mayo. There are no recorded monuments or extant structures within the boundaries or in the vicinity of the site. Pre-development testing along the road corridor of the new N5, to the south, identified the foundations of a 19th-century house, a possible iron-working site and two burnt spreads.
The programme of archaeological testing was carried out on 27 May 2020. Eight test trenches and 9 test pits were excavated at the site in bright and sunny conditions. Continuous trenching in parts of the site was not possible due to the presence of deep deposits of peat. The ground at these location was heavily waterlogged with unstable deposits presenting a risk of collapse and flooding. Extending to the north deep deposits of peat were also encountered. This area was not tested as this location was deemed unsuitable for deposition.
In general the stratigraphy comprised a mid-brown sandy silty topsoil and sod ranging in depth from 200-400mm overlying deposits of peat overlying a cream coloured marl. The peat ranged in depth with deeper deposits up to 4m at the northern margins. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted
3 Gort na Rí, Athenry, Co. Galway
