2023:343 - Connaughton’s Road Car Park, Rathquarter, Sligo, Sligo

Archaeological monitoring was carried out on 7 November 2023 at Connaughton Road Carpark, Rathquarter, Sligo. Two slot trenches were excavated within the development area. One
within the car park, close to the eastern entrance, and the second going from the car park, across the road to the ESB substation. A linear area beside the car park wall, measuring 15m in length, was cleared, and a slot trench (ST1) orientated east-west was opened within the car park area using a mini- digger with a grading bucket and hand tools. A second slot trench (ST2) orientated north-south was excavated across the road to an existing ESB substation, perpendicular to ST1, in line with the proposed plans.
Slot trench 1 (ST1): A two-faced wall with a soil interface dividing the car park from the footpath was partially removed to expose the underlying gravel. The excavated slot trench can be divided roughly in half with the western half measuring 8m in length. This exposed made-up ground to a level of 0.6m. This changed to a mid-orangey-brown silty clay to a sandy clay deposit (C3) at 0.6-0.78m. This had previously been disturbed by still-present ESB services. The eastern half of the slot trench was 7m long and up to 1.1m deep. This came down onto a deposit of mid-yellow-brown sandy clay with gravels and sub-angular stones (C4).
Slot trench 2 (ST2): A slot trench was excavated across the road (C5) to connect to the existing ESB substation. This measured 15m in length, was aligned north-south, and had a depth of between 0.9-1.2m. The tarmacked road and underlying gravels had a depth of 0.28-0.35m. Below this was a mixed deposit of dark yellow-brown sandy clay with poorly sorted gravels and stone of various sizes generally under 0.15m diameter (C6). This ground was likely a redeposited natural material.
No archaeological features or deposits were exposed, and no finds were recovered.

Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth. A92 DH99.