2021:170 - Carrigfadda, Skibbereen, Cork

Archaeological testing was undertaken in Carrigfadda, Skibbereen, Co Cork in April 2021 to fulfil a condition of a grant of planning for nine residential sites from Cork County Council (Ref. No. 19/172). The testing was preceded by geophysical testing (J. Leigh Surveys, licence number 21R0019).
Ringforts (CO141-127) is located 60m to the south-east of the development site, and ringfort (CO141-128) is located 250m further to the south-east, both also in Carrigfadda townland.
The development site is currently in pasture. Five trenches were excavated by machine, spaced at intervals of 15-20m apart extended across the full area of the development site. Within the trenches the topsoil varied in depth from 0.2-0.4m and was generally deeper in the trenches at the northern end of the site due to the gradient. The underlying subsoil was an orange-brown sandy clay with few inclusions of stone. The subsoil was sandier at the eastern end of the trenches and the clay content was higher at the western end. With the exception of a few pieces of modern pottery, no inclusions, either modern or historic, were recorded in any of the trenches. Traces of agricultural furrows, aligned east-west, were recorded at intervals in some of the trenches, in particular Trenches 3, 4 & 5.
No definite archaeological features were recorded in the geophysical survey but three possible archaeological responses were noted. No evidence of these archaeological responses was recorded during the archaeological testing. This suggests that these three responses are likely to be agricultural in nature.
No archaeological features, stratigraphy or artefacts was recorded in any of the trenches in the area of the development site in Carrigfadda.

Eachtra Archaeological Projects, Lickybeg, Clashmore, Co. Waterford P36 WA44