County: Mayo Site name: Pheasanthill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: NA Licence number: E005159; Ministerial Direction No.: A069
Author: Declan Moore
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 511114m, N 787409m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.828576, -9.350211
The author was commissioned by Wills-BAM Joint Venture to undertake a programme of archaeological testing of the site of a proposed External Deposition Area at Pheasanthill, Co. Mayo. The EDA at Pheasanthill is located 4.4km to the south-west of Castlebar on improved pasture lying between the western shore of Lough Lannagh and the existing N5. The site is 220m to the northeast of a crannog (MA078-046).
The testing was carried out on 2 and 3 September 2020. Eighteen test trenches were excavated at the site in extremely wet conditions. In general, the stratigraphy throughout comprised a homogenous mid-brown sandy silty topsoil and sod ranging in depth from 100-350mm overlying a natural compact, coarse mixed yellowish to mid-brown sandy silty clay subsoil with patches of blackened clay and patches of reddened clay. Towards the centre of the eastern field and the northern part of the western field deposits of peat to a depth of up to 2m were encountered. At the centre of Field 2 deeper deposits of peat were encountered, reaching depths of up to 2.5m.
A mounded area along the ridge line in the western field was investigated. The feature represents a natural topographical feature and was non-archaeological. No evidence of a structure depicted on the 1830’s OS map was observed. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted during testing.
3 Gort na Rí, Athenry, Co. Galway
