County: Westmeath Site name: Russagh, Rathowen
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WM006-015 Licence number: 23E0116
Author: Maeve McCormick
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 632578m, N 768343m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.663826, -7.507072
Excavation works for the forest road at Russagh, Rathowen, Co. Westmeath commenced on 1 March 2023 at the entrance way from a small local road. Work continued in intermittent phases during March, with completion in early April. The hedge was removed and a large bellmouth was created for turning vehicles coming in off the local road. Road construction then proceeded due north, to a T at the end of the new forest road. The trees were removed by a forwarder and stacked on both sides of a 20m-wide path, tree stumps were removed by JCB and the brash was laid along the line of the road. A JCB then spread hard-core material on top of the brash to create the forest road – minimal soil (approx. 0.2m) was excavated along the length of the road and nothing of archaeological significance was noted during the course of the works.
Unit 1 Tenure Business Park, Monasterboice, Co. Louth
