2020:785 - AGHADRINAGH, Mayo

The author was commissioned by Wills-BAM Joint Venture to undertake a programme of archaeological testing of the site of a proposed External Borrow  area (EBA) at Aghadrinagh, Co. Mayo. The site is located 2.6km to the south of Castlebar in pastureland bordered to the east and west by drainage channels. There are no recorded archaeological monuments within the site. Internally the site has a north-south orientated ridgeline sloping to marshier ground to the east and west.

Testing was carried out over three days between 28 May and 2 June 2020. Twenty-nine test trenches were excavated in generally bright and sunny conditions. Trenches in the eastern part of the site were amended in order to investigate the area to the immediate north and west of the burnt mound/possible fulacht fiadh encountered in test Trench 21.

At ITM 513757/787735 in the southern end of Trench 21 an area measuring 6.8m from north to south was noted which comprised of a deposit of fire-reddened and -cracked stone within a matrix of burnt and blackened sandy silty clay. No charcoal was immediately visible. An offset trench (test Trench 28) was excavated to establish the western extent of this deposit. No burnt mound material was observed in this test trench. The western edge of the burnt mound roughly aligned with the western edge of test Trench 21. The feature continued into the eastern section and a rough mounded area was observed. This mound measured roughly 7m north to south by 7m. The eastern extent of the site was not investigated as the site was not visible within the section face of a north-south aligned field drain roughly 10m to the east of the test trench. The site was located at the southern end of the trench in low-lying ground at the margin with the lower-lying wetland to the east. The site was located in a slight hollow at the eastern part of the field.

Further to consultation with the clients representative it was concluded that the eastern part of the site would not be impacted by the proposed works and the entire area would be fenced and demarcated.