County: Leitrim Site name: Townparks, Carrick on Shannon.
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LE031-005-- Licence number: 20E0406
Author: Declan Moore
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 593767m, N 799615m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.945821, -8.094944
A programme of archaeological monitoring of ground works was carried out between February 2021 and September 2021 by the author assisted by Ciaran Davis and Tamlyn O’Driscoll for the Carrick-on-Shannon Public Realm Regeneration Project in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim. Most of the proposed works took place within the historic town of Carrick-on-Shannon (LE031-005----). This phase of the works relates to the remodelling of Main Street and adjacent lanes/streets. The excavations were carried out by a mini digger and where required by hand.
For the most part excavations were limited to a maximum depth of 600mm. The subsurface material on Main Street, St Georges Terrace, Bridge Street, Priest’s Lane, Dublin Road and Leitrim Road and adjacent lanes comprised mainly previously disturbed ground caused by civil works for the installation of drains, gullies, manholes, sewers, and ducting for various services.
Fills of gravels, sands and rubble containing a variety of small- to medium-sized stones were found during the excavations. In a couple of instances deeper excavations exposed an undisturbed dark yellow sandy clay layer, with frequent inclusions of small stones.
The stratigraphy generally comprised tarmac, brick, and slab surfacing over a mix of disturbed soils, sand, gravel, and rubble material, including fragments of drain ceramic pipes and pieces of red brick possibly redeposited by previous civil works.
A section of masonry wall foundation (measuring 6.5m east-west by 0.5m wide with an exposed depth of 0.14m) was found outside Murtagh’s Pub at the western end of Main Street close to the junction with Priest’s Lane, approx. 550mm beneath the level of the footpath. This wall is likely to be 19th century in date and corresponds with a building indicated on the First Edition O.S map as ‘Post Office’. This feature was recorded and retained in situ under a protective layer of terram and sand. The works were moved to avoid any disruption to this wall. The remains of a possible jostle stone was also noted in the fabric of the wall. This feature
was likely reused as wall building material and was also left preserved in situ. Nothing further of archaeological significance was noted.
3 Gort na Rí, Athenry, Co. Galway
