County: Mayo Site name: Culleens
Sites and Monuments Record No.: MA030-010 Licence number: 23E0775
Author: Angela Wallace
Site type: Testing - no archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 523657m, N 822411m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.145030, -9.168495
A detailed phase of archaeological assessment incorporating background research, field inspection, geophysical survey and archaeological testing was carried out in advance of proposed agricultural improvement works at the enclosure site of MA030-010.
The site is located in the townland of Culleens, on the Killala Road (R314), approximately 2km north of Ballina town. The enclosure is no longer clearly visible on the ground and cartographic records indicate this site was likely to have been quarried out between 1837-1890. It is last recorded on the 1837 OS 6-inch map. It does not appear on later editions such as the OS Historic 25 inch map of 1910 or on any later aerial photographs or LiDAR imagery.
On review of an initial desktop assessment a Geophysical Survey was requested from National Monuments Service in order to determine if any subsurface traces of the monument survived. Geophysical survey was commissioned under Licence No. 23R0045.
The geophysical survey did not reveal the location or condition of the earthwork; it did reveal several new potential sub-surface features or anomalies in the environs.
Archaeological testing was planned to target the area around any possible sub-surface remains of levelled Ringfort-Rath (MA030-010) and various anomalies highlighted in the geophysical survey. Extensive trenching across the area revealed no evidence of any subsurface remains connected to the ringfort. Three trenches (3, 4 & 6) were positioned in order to determine the extent and whereabouts of any remains. No evidence for any archaeological finds, features or deposits were identified. Findings were consistent with past quarrying activity.
The other 6 trenches (1, 2, 5, 7, 8 & 9) were located to investigate anomalies located and highlighted in the geophysical survey. These also failed to reveal any sign of archaeological finds, features or deposits.
A field boundary and drainage ditch evident in Trench 7 coincided with anomalies identified in the geophysical survey. The central pit targeted in Trench 8 was caused by a large area of decayed and decaying stone.
No evidence for any archaeological finds, features or deposits were found during this program of testing.
Pier Road, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo
