County: Westmeath Site name: St Owen's Church, Ballymore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WM024-179--- Licence number: 23E0382
Author: Tamlyn McHugh
Site type: Church
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 621805m, N 749296m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.493222, -7.671402
Archaeological monitoring was conducted of conservation works at St Owen’s Church (NIAH Reg No.: 15315010) and within the Zone of Archaeological Notification for recorded monument WM024-179--- St Owen’s Church. The works were funded by the National Monuments Service Community Monument Fund 2023 and entailed conservation works to the historic fabric of the 19th-century St Owen’s Church of Ireland church.
Monitoring was undertaken on 3 August 2023. Monitoring was conducted during subsurface works for the installation of lightning conductors to the tower. Vegetation, accumulated debris, and soil had been mechanically removed previously during the 2022 phase of the project. The careful removal of this material was to facilitate a level area of ground directly adjacent to the exterior walls of the tower on which the scaffolding was erected.
The sumps for the installation of the lightning rods were excavated by hand into two locations at the base of the tower. Monitoring was undertaken of the installation of the receiving earth connection for the lightning rods.
No material of an archaeological nature was observed during monitoring of the lightning installation works to the exterior of the tower of the church. The remainder of the conservation works was confined to restoration of stonework of the tower and the decorative pinnacles were restored. This work involving the restoration of the tower did not require archaeological monitoring. No archaeological material was observed during monitoring of any subsurface works at the site.
Cooldrumman Upper, Carney, Co. Sligo
