2022:300 - RINGMEEN, Cobh, Cork

Archaeological testing of the site of a permitted Strategic Housing Development in Ringmeen, Cobh, County Cork was undertaken in order to comply with a condition of An Bord Pleanála grant of consent. In total, 230m linear metres of test trench was excavated across the available and suitable areas within the site. No artefacts, features or deposits of an archaeological nature were revealed within any of the excavated test trenches.

While it was readily evident that the majority of the site had been reduced down into sterile sub-strata during previous activities here, the testing programme demonstrated that the areas which retain a degree of soil cover have also been substantially disturbed by works undertaken at this site in the early 2000s. Some of the soil cover across the tested areas had evidently been introduced.

However, the testing programme did identify localised areas where the degree of modern disturbance appeared to have been limited and where original soil profiles likely survived largely intact. These areas were located in the north-central portion of the site, in the vicinity of Trench 4 and Trench 9, and likely remained less disturbed than other areas across the site due to the presence of the overhead power line. Due to the lesser extent of disturbance noted in these areas, they can be considered to retain a degree of archaeological potential, although this is considered to be low.

Similarly, a large area of mounded soil and material to the north of Trench 4 has the potential to be masking additional areas of less disturbed ground.

It is recommended that an archaeological watching brief be carried out during the stripping of topsoil in north-central portion of the site.