2023:192 - MOATE: Moate Community School, Church Street, Aghanargit, Westmeath

Test excavation was undertaken on 8 August 2023. It was proposed to excavate 4 trenches (c. 77 linear metres).

All but one of the three proposed trenches (Trench 4) were excavated. Trench 4 was located to assess a former modern burial ground noted in the historical mapping and could not be excavated due to its location being in a high traffic area and students were due to return in 2 weeks. Trench 3 had to be shortened and slightly realigned due to the presence of underground services and a newly-constructed wheelchair ramp. This resulted in the excavation of 3 trenches totalling c.56 linear metres instead of the proposed c.77m.

Across the site a humic dark brown landscaped topsoil, C1, measuring c.0.1m deep was recorded. For the most part this lay on top of a levelling layer, C2, comprising a dark brown sandy clay and gravel layer with occasional modern refuse inclusions measuring 0.4-0.6m deep. A rubble dump, C4, was located at the south-east end of Trench 2. It comprised concrete chunks, breeze blocks, red bricks with plastic, pottery and glass inclusions measuring 1.2m deep x 2m wide.

Subsoil was recorded across the entire site at a depth of between 0.7–1.2m. It comprised light orange-brown sandy clay with frequent large patches of light grey gravel and sand.

Nothing of archaeological significance was recorded during the excavation.