2020:348 - Castlegal 1, Sligo

Stage (iii) Excavations were undertaken at Castlegal 1 from 25 November 2020 to 4 December 2020 as part of the N16 Lugnatober (Drumkilsellagh to Lugnagall) Road Project, Co. Sligo. Castlegal 1 was discovered in the southern section of the scheme during advance Stage (i) Test Excavations undertaken in 2020 by Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) Ltd (Dowling and McKee 2020; Registration Nos.: E005188 and R00544; Ministerial Consent Ref.: A079).

The site consisted of settlement remains associated with a vernacular structure depicted on the first-edition six-inch OS Map (1837). A structure is not indicated at the site on the first-edition 25-inch OS Map (1911), indicating its removal sometime between 1837 and 1911. The settlement remains included: a small section of wall which corresponds to the southern gable of the north to south orientated structure depicted on the first-edition map; a small area of ‘patchy metalling’ (2m x 1.8m), probably deriving from the structure’s yard; three small pits of indeterminate function; a heterogenous spread, containing an amount of brick rubble, which could be associated with a removal/levelling of the site; a (presumed 19th-century) pottery kiln.

The most interesting feature was the pottery kiln which comprised a central chamber and apparent flue cut, at its south-eastern extent. The central ‘chamber’ was an elongated oval in plan and partially stone-lined, with basal fills that indicated burning at high temperature and contained a large amount of post-medieval pottery. As post-medieval kilns represent a rare find in Ireland the large amount of pottery from kiln basal fill has been recommended for further analysis.

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