2020:160 - ROSCOMMON CASTLE, Roscommon

Monitoring at Roscommon Castle carried out for Roscommon County Council. The archaeological component of the on-site works commenced on 8 September 2020 and was completed on 14 September.

The works were carried out to facilitate the installation of six floodlights mounted on concrete plinths, two public lighting micro pillars, and one ESB wooden pole all connected via a 2-inch duct carrying the power supply as well as the insertion of a bus park.

During the works, two walls (C004 and C005) were uncovered and recorded (Figure 1).

These extended north-west and north-north-west from the north-north-west side of the castle and are likely part of outlying buildings or garden features associated with the sixteenth-/seventeenth-century fortified house (RO039-043010-) phase at Roscommon Castle. The trench also traversed an area of deep topsoil-like fill to the WSW of the castle (Figures 1 & 2). This is likely the upper fill of the moat, but the exposed context comprised topsoil backfilled into the moat and no medieval layers were encountered. A small undecorated and heeled clay pipe bowl (E5237:1) of late sixteenth- or early seventeenth-century date was retrieved from the trench south-west of the castle during the excavation.

Metal detection of the spoil from the trench produced a copper coin, two lead shot, an unidentified lead object, several pieces of miscellaneous lead and an iron nail (R235:1–9). Both lead shot appeared to have been fired and to have impacted against something (Figures 3–5).

The area of the bus park, to the south of the castle, was previously disturbed and the depth of impact did not reveal any remains of archaeological note.

No further archaeological works are required/recommended in relation to this development.