2020:791 - DOOGARY, Mayo

The author was commissioned by Wills BAM JV to undertake a programme of archaeological testing of the site of a proposed Materials Storage Area (MSA01) at Doogary Townland, Co. Mayo. The proposed storage area at Doogary is located 2.7km east of Castlebar and south of the L1711 local road in improved pasture farmland. The site is an irregular rectilinear shape directly to the east of the N5 road alignment. The land crosses fields that are bounded by mature hedgerows and trees.

Two recorded monuments are located directly south of the area: an enclosure (MA079-025001-) and earthwork (MA079-025002-). The primary grid coordinates for these sites are 95m and 80m to the south-southeast respectively, but the actual edge of the enclosure is 46m distant at its nearest point, and the zone of notification extends to within just 15m from the south of the area.

In addition, nine archaeological sites within 1km of the Doogary storage area were discovered while testing for the N5 road scheme and were subsequently excavated. The closest is a burned spread (Doogary 1), located 150m to the north.

At the north of the proposed Doogary storage area are the remains of a historic settlement, including the standing ruins of one house. The OS First Edition map (1839) shows two buildings at this location, and the Third Edition map (1897) shows three buildings. Inspection of the site found that one of these buildings has been recently demolished, one is a standing ruin (walls up to 4m height) and one was presumed to be the location of a mounded area. Other indications of this settlement are a stone and concrete gateway, a stone-based track and apple trees from what was once an orchard.

Testing was carried out on 19 and 20 October 2020. A regular grid of test trenches spaced at between 20m and 40m intervals were excavated across the Doogary site, avoiding the immediate vicinity of the standing building at the north.

The following specific measures were taken regarding the historic features at Doogary:

• The location and alignment of the trenches were designed to intersect potential historic vernacular features in the north of the site (the demolished building to the west and the mound with possible buried building to the east) and also the well in the west of the site, while avoiding any damage to the standing ruined building at the north of the site.
• In order to protect the standing ruined building, it was fenced off with a suitable barrier and a buffer of at least 5m for the duration of the works.
• A vernacular architecture survey of the standing building (full photographic record, technical description, and measured plan drawing) was carried out prior to testing in the area.

In general, the stratigraphy throughout comprised a homogenous mid-brown sandy silty topsoil and sod ranging in depth from 100–500mm overlying a natural compact, coarse mixed yellowish to mid-brown sandy subsoil with patches of blackened clay and patches of reddened clay with occasional outcrops of bedrock. Within the central part of field 4 deposits of peaty material overlying a soft grey marl were encountered continuing to an unknown depth due to constant flooding. Numerous 19^th/20^th-century objects including crockery, bottles and metal objects were noted throughout Field 1, testament to the relatively recent occupation of the field and modern disturbance.

In Field 1, at the north-western part of the field, an area of rubble was encountered which corresponds with a now-demolished structure which is visible on recent aerial photography. No foundation was observed. The rubble was spread around an area measuring roughly 8m x 10m. Investigation of a mound in Field 1 revealed that the mound comprised a natural hummock and not the remains of a vernacular structure as was originally posited.

Nothing of archaeological significance was noted during testing.