2023:359 - N59, Old Crossmolina Road and Unnamed Road, Knockanillaun, Cloonglasney, Cloontykillew, Coolcran, Knocksbarrett, Gorteen, Ardoughan and Ballina, Mayo

The Knockanillaun Tower to Ballina Reservoir scheme forms part of a larger nationwide Water Network Programme that is being undertaken by Uisce Éireann. The scheme involved the installation of c.3,947m of replacement/new water mains (including associated assets, fittings and transfer of service connections) along the existing national road N59, Old Crossmolina Road and Unnamed Road. The groundworks for the scheme consisted of trial holes and a continuous open-cut trenching and were carried out along the scheme route in the townlands of Knockanillaun, Cloonglasney, Cloontykillew, Coolcran, Knocksbarrett, Gorteen, Ardoughan and Ballina in Co. Mayo.
The monitoring followed a high-level Cultural Heritage Constraints Assessment (CHCA) undertaken for the scheme by Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) in July 2022. The CHCA found that the proposed route was likely to have no impact on known archaeological heritage. However, it was recommended as a precaution to monitor any ground excavation works to be carried out at the location of two culverts (CH03 and CH10) and 20m either side. Considering the overall length of the scheme, and previous discoveries of fulachtaí fiadh (MA030-098----, MA030-099----; MA030-100---- and MA030-101----) in the vicinity of the eastern end of the scheme, provision was made for intermittent monitoring of any ground excavation works carried out for the construction works for the length of the scheme.
The archaeological monitoring was carried out intermittently on 28 August 2022 and between 17 January–10 May 2023.
A single trial hole (TH 6) measuring 3m x 0.6m x 1m in depth was excavated at the location of a culvert (CH03) and the top of the concrete culvert was revealed in this trench.
One section of continuous open-cut trench measuring 50m x 1m x 1.4m in depth was located along the Unnamed Road to Knockanillaun Water Tower Reservoir. In this trench, the topsoil consisting of gravel and rounded stones, overlay a layer of the natural subsoil consisting of mid-greyish-yellow clay.
Five sections of continuous open-cut trench (totalling 140m in length and ranging between 0.6–1.5m in width and 1.3–1.5m in depth) were excavated along the N59 and Old Crossmolina Road. Layers of modern built-up ground, peat layers and different types of the natural subsoil were identified in the trenches under the modern road surface. The natural subsoil consisted of a mid-greyish brown silty sand, light greyish-yellow silty sand, mid-yellow gravelly sandy clay and dark brownish-yellow gravelly sandy clay.
No potential archaeological objects, features or deposits were found in any trenches during the archaeological monitoring along the scheme route.

Fahy’s Road, Kilrush, Co. Clare