2022:780 - KNOCKMARIA OR ADDERGOOLE, Mayo

Archaeological Testing was required by the local planning authority prior to construction of a domestic house, garage, propriety sewerage treatment plant and associated site works at Knockmaria, Lahardaun, Co Mayo due the proximity of the site to an area of archaeological potential—MA 047 -020. The entrance to the site and driveway is within the Zone of Notification for the monument. The site was visited previously by Jane O Shaughnessy from National Monuments, who describes the setting as follows: “Situated on a low but prominent hill in rolling countryside. The Addergoole River is 200m to the W and an inlet of Lough Conn is just over half a Kilometre to E. It over looks Addergoole church (MA 047 – 018001), a late medieval parish church, which is located on the lake shore 750m to NNE. Indicated on the 1838 and 1922 OS 6 – inch maps as Castle in Ruins, only the ENE angle (5m NNE – SSW; 3.3m WNW – ESE) of this tower house is still standing. The surviving walls are constructed of roughly built limestone with a rubble core and stand to a height of c.3.5m”.

The topsoil was deep and rich, generally 0.4m deep. The natural subsoil varied from an orange compacted stony subsoil to a light grey compacted natural. Nothing of archaeological significance was found.