2024:900 - Celtic Interconnector - Onshore Scheme - Townland Boundary Survey, Cork

Archaeological monitoring of geotechnical Site Investigations works along the onshore route of the Celtic Interconnector was carried out under licence number 23E0861.

Once the site investigations works were complete, licence number 23E0861 was reactivated and used for the monitoring of enabling works, which included the removal of field boundaries. Where these field boundaries also constituted townland boundaries, these were photographed and recorded in accordance with the EIAR (Environmental Impact Assessment Report) requirements.

The townland boundary survey was thus prepared in support of compliance with the requirements set out in the EIAR. The EIAR identified thirteen (13) townland boundaries that may be potentially impacted by the construction phase of works, with another being identified subsequently, but upon further investigation many were found not to be affected. Four were to be crossed via horizontal directional drilling, and three boundaries the cable route no longer impacts on following a minor routing change.

The townland boundary survey was completed and identified seven townland boundaries that would be impacted upon by construction phase, three of which were stream/river crossings, and which were dealt with by a wade survey. Four were extant stone/embanked boundaries, and two of these were found to be modern breeze block walls once vegetation was removed. The townland boundary survey concentrated on the two upstanding townland boundaries which were to be impacted by the cable route.

Townland Boundary 31

Townland boundary 31 (CH162 in the EIAR) comprises an extant earthen embankment topped with a hedgerow, a roadway and an extant (modern) stone wall topped with a hedgerow and forms the boundary between Grange and Lismalaghlin. A section through the earthen bank on the west side of the road was created at the time it was breached. The bank was 1.32m in height and 2.84m in width and was made up of C01, a mid-brown silty clay with frequent roots, C02 a mid-greyish black silty clay with moderate large angular stones and an area of gravel-rich soil on the west side and C03, possible stone facing of east side of the townland boundary, a light yellowish-brown silty clay with frequent large angular stones.

Townland Boundary 38

Townland boundary 38 (CH150 in the EIAR) comprises an extant earthen bank topped with a hedgerow (including trees) on the west-southwest, a road and another extant earthen bank topped with a hedgerow on the east-northeast and forms the boundary between Lisglasheen and Moanlahan. Once a section was put through the earthen bank on the west-southwest side of the road, it revealed the bank to be 0.98m in height and 1.37m in width. Made up of C04, a mid-brownish-orange silty clay with frequent roots and rare small and medium stones and C05, a mid-reddish-brown silty clay with infrequent small and medium stones. A section was also done through the east-northeastern bank, with a height of 1.13m and a width of 1.7m. It was made up of C06, a mid-pinkish-brown silty clay with frequent small stones, C07, a mid-yellowish brown silty clay with rare small, medium and large rock inclusions. And finally, C08, a dark reddish-brown silty clay.