2020:243 - Drumcliffe South, Sligo

Archaeological monitoring of the excavation of a trench to install a new water pipe in the vicinity of National Monument 119 High Cross and Round Tower at Drumcliffe monastic centre, Drumcliffe South, Co. Sligo was undertaken on June 15/16/17 2020. Material of an archaeological nature was found during archaeological monitoring of the trench. This included three partial quern-stones and a deposit of shell midden material.
The trench for the new water mains was located 25m west of High Cross SL008-084004- (National Monuments number 119) and Midden SL008-084016-, and 20m north east of Round Tower SL008-084003- (National Monuments number 119). Previous monitoring was conducted by the author under Ministerial Consent C000888; E005004 of a previous four water leaks, which were monitored to the east of the present location all within the zone of archaeological notification of National Monument 119.
The main trench was located within the existing Sligo County Council public access road to the carpark to the north of the graveyard from here it traversed the carpark in a west to east direction, where it then was excavated in a grassy area to the north of a stone wall which bounds the access road to the churchyard, from here an additional section of pipe was installed to the Drumcliffe Teahouse.
The pipe was then excavated along the western and northern boundary walls of the cottage residence and from there it traversed above ground to the field to the rear of the cottage to the western boundary wall of the Church of Ireland graveyard to connect with an existing pipe which supplies water to the church. The water pipe supplies water to the Drumcliffe Teahouse café and a neighboring residence, as well as the St Columba’s Church.
Access was cordoned off during the works to ensure there was no public access. Following the mechanical excavation of the trench the pipe was repaired and the trench backfilled with gravel and resurfaced with tarmac. The area which traversed the field to the rear of the cottage was covered with a mound of soil to avoid any unnecessary below ground digging of a trench in an extremely sensitive archaeological area as indicated by a previous geophysical survey (Gimson & Bonsall 2015).
The trench was excavated under archaeological supervision to determine whether subsurface archaeological material was present. Following cutting of the tarmacadam surface, the trench was excavated using a mechanical excavator equipped with a narrow-graded bucket and a ripper tooth to keep the trench as narrow as possible. The same bucket was used to excavate a trench in a green area to the NE of the High Cross, where the trench followed around the perimeter of the boundary walls of the cottage residence before traversing above ground where only a few centimeters of grass was removed for laying the pipe on top of. The total excavated trench in the measured 140m E-W and SW-NE, 0.25m width N-S and 0.45m maximum depth.
The stratigraphy was consistent throughout the trench, consisting of 0.10m tarmac surface (C1) over rough modern redeposited road fill (C2) 0.20m deep. This overlay a dark brown grey clay (C3) 0.15m containing occasional small to medium stones. There was occasional and randomly occurring fragmented shell in this lower fill, but for most of the trench there were no discernible in situ deposits of potential archaeological material. The majority fill of the trench was archaeologically sterile except for these occasional shell fragments (predominantly muscle and cockle shell), a piece of highly fragmented bone and a piece of metalworking slag (C000888:3:1) found in the stretch of trench opposite the High Cross (ITM co-ordinates E567793/N842052). The bone was left in situ as it extended into the north facing section of the trench. These items appear to have been disturbed and were not present within discernible features and were likely to have occurred during backfilling of the trench after the water services were originally installed. From local information it would suggest that there was no archaeologist present during these works.
Due care was taken not to disturb the previously recorded Midden (SL008-084016-) north of the High Cross, by moving the trench further north – this was successful, and no archaeological material was uncovered or disturbed here.
A small deposit of fragmented shell in a dark brown matrix was noted northeast of the round tower during the excavation of a trench to link the new pipe with the existing watermain which is located along the northern edge of the N15 road. The midden like material was found 0.35m below the road surface (ITM co-ordinates E567822/N842048). This shell and charcoal enriched deposit measured 1.80m N-S and 0.50m E-W and was only visible within the exposed area of trench. This was not a previously disturbed area and it was advised that no further digging take place here. The pipe was placed a 0.10m above the exposed area of midden material. A trench 3m x 3m was be excavated at the westernmost point of the pipeline to insert a meter and connect with the mains.
To further support the conclusion that the previous works, when the pipe was originally laid, was not monitored by an archaeologist was the occurrence of three partial quern stone fragments. A half quern-stone (Find No.: C000888:4:1) was first discovered (ITM co-ordinates E567812/N842048) and two further fragments (Find No.: C000888:4:2 & C000888:4:3) were smaller with one fragment (Find No.: C000888:4:2) appearing to be heat effected and may have a semi-circular decoration incised on its upper surface Both these latter finds were found close to one another (ITM co-ordinates E567820/N842051). All the quern-stone fragments were discovered in the upper topsoil (C4) of the trench in the green area adjacent to the carpark and NE of the High Cross.
These quern-stone finds were likely redeposited during the previous works when the pipe trench was being back filled (modern rubbish was also present), and the workers may not have been aware that these were archaeological objects. Although found unstratified and within a previously disturbed area these objects create a picture of the activities that were taking place at Drumcliffe ecclesiastical site from the Early Medieval periods onwards – grinding grain and milling was a commonplace activity in these monastic settlements.

Reference:
Gimson, H & Bonsall, J. 2015. Detection Licence No. 15R0031 Survey undertaken on behalf of Drumcliff Development Association. Earthsound Archaeological Geophysics. Unpublished report.

Cooldrumman Upper, Carney, Co. Sligo