2020:350 - Castlegal 3, Sligo

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Sligo Site name: Castlegal 3

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E005261 (also R00544 and Ministerial Consent Ref. No. A079)

Author: Denis Shine

Site type: Ring-ditch and associated pits etc.

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 571744m, N 840517m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.312612, -8.434230

Stage (iii) Excavations were undertaken at Castlegal 3 as part of the N16 Lugatober (Drumkilsellagh to Lugnagall) Road Project, Co. Sligo. Castlegal 3 was discovered in the southern section of the scheme during advance Stage (i) Test Excavations undertaken in 2020 by AMS (Dowling and McKee 2020; Registration Nos.: E005188 and R00544; Ministerial Consent Ref.: A079).

The on-site Stage (iii) Excavation Services at Castlegal 3 were undertaken between 26 October and 10 November 2020. The site consisted of a ring-ditch (measuring 7.5m in diameter x 1.3m x 0.45m) with four fills, one of which contained a piece of worked chert. Five features were found on the interior of the ring-ditch (including a pit, 2 stake-holes and 2 possible post-holes); three further pits were cut through the ring-ditch upper fill. Of note, a larger pit (measuring 1.3m x 0.8m x 0.23m), containing a flint core and bone, was recorded abutting the internal side of the ring-ditch cut. A series of 9 pits was recorded outside the ring-ditch, in two broad groupings of 3 northern pits and 6 eastern pits. None of these pits were found to contain artefacts, although one did contain bone. A further six isolated features including a linear feature, 4 pits (one of which cut the linear feature) and a stake-hole were also excavated outside the ring-ditch. A second phase of activity at the site was represented by two linear features and two furrows, one of which cut across the ring-ditch; these four features are thought to be post-medieval or modern, based on the recovery of two sherds of modern pottery from one linear feature. Two further pieces of modern pottery and two lithics were also recovered from the topsoil. Soil samples were taken from the fill of each suitable feature with the intention of obtaining several radiocarbon dates, should suitable organic remains be present.

Castlegal 3 is located 60m east of Castlegal 2, a second ring-ditch and set of pits. Several other prehistoric sites were also found in adjacent townlands during the N16 Lugatober (Drumkilsellagh to Lugnagall) Road Project, including a palisaded enclosure (Castlegal 4) and a cluster of Bronze Age pits (Drumkilsellagh 2), located 200m to the north-east and 280m to the south-east respectively. These new discoveries are in addition to previously known archaeological monuments including a wedge tomb (SL009-031) in Drumkilsellagh and an embanked barrow (SL009-030) and ring barrow (SL009-027) in Castlegal townland itself. Collectively, the excavations and known monuments point to a socialised and inhabited landscape in prehistory, most likely in the Bronze Age.

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