2024:558 - Carrick, Blairstown, Donaghmore Glebe, Grahamsland, Sessiagh (Allison), Sessiagh (Long), Castlefinn, Knockrawer, Donegal

Liscooley to Castlefinn Cast Iron scheme located in Carrick, Blairstown, Donaghmore Glebe, Grahamsland, Sessiagh (Allison), Sessiagh (Long), Castlefinn and Knockrawer townlands in County Donegal forms part of a larger nationwide Water Network Programme that is being undertaken by Uisce Éireann. The scheme involved the installation of c.3.401m rehabilitated water mains, 15m of replacement/new water mains and the decommissioning of 136m of existing mains. The installation methods used were open-cut trenching along the existing roads (N15 and unnamed road) and horizontal directional drilling along Grahamsland Estate.
The archaeological monitoring was carried out intermittently between 29 August 2023 and 25 April 2024 on sections of a continuous open-cut trench totalling c.490m within the Zones of Notification for DG079-016- (ritual site-holy well), DG079-017001- (church) and its associated graveyard (DG079-017002-), and for Castlefinn historic town (DG079-046001-) and in the vicinity of cultural heritage sites: a pipe (site of), stables (NIAH 40840001), and a well (site of).
No potential archaeological objects, features or deposits were found during monitoring of the scheme route. The only features revealed were a section of post-medieval/modern cobbled road surface and a modern wall foundation in Castlefinn town. The latter feature is part of a terraced house located along the southern side of the main road in Castlefinn town as depicted on the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map (1902).