2024:391 - Knocknarea trail, Knocknarea South, Sligo

It was proposed that all path remedial works should be carried out under the supervision of an archaeologist licensed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Works took place between 8 and 24 April 2024. Work commenced on the upslope section of the trail, where the hill-wash material was hand-cleared from the existing worn path. The overburden was between 50mm and 100mm in depth and consisted of a loose grey-brown silty gravel. For much of the area cleared, the hill-wash material came down onto exposed limestone bedrock, or undisturbed subsoils. Roughly rectangular-shaped, imported limestone blocks were laid down across the trail route to create a series of steps, with flatter stones laid behind, creating level platforms. Where possible, the outcropping bedrock was used as natural steps. Once complete, smaller stones were laid down on the upslope side of the new path and the excess hill wash material spread behind and re-seeded with grass. It is hoped that once established, the stone and grassy path edge will divert water run-off away from the pathway.

Further to the east, erosion on the railway sleeper section of the path had caused some significant height difference between the steps, making it difficult and unsafe to walk on. A series of new wooden sleepers were set in position at selected points, without the need for any additional ground disturbance, and held in place by hand-driven reinforced steel rods.

Finally, there was some erosion to the path in the vicinity of the kissing gate at the eastern end of the remedial works. A fresh layer of stone was laid down here on the existing path surface, without any disturbance to the underlying ground.

Remedial work was undertaken on a sample section of the public path up to the summit of Knocknarea. The works consisted on the consolidation of a particularly heavily eroded section of path, with the construction of sets of stone steps, utilising areas of exposed bedrock. Ground disturbance was limited to the clearance of overlying hill wash deposits, the archaeological monitoring of which did not produce anything of archaeological interest. Similarly the works to the wooden sleeper section of the path and the resurfacing of the existing path in the area of the kissing gate, did not uncover anything of significance.

The new works will be monitored over the coming winter months to assess the stability of the works and if stable, may be rolled out along other sections of the path. However, local information suggests that the main source of erosion on the path network is the amount of rain water, which can cascade down the mountain side and which has its origins up on the summit plateau. The long-term managing of this water is likely the solution to the problem of erosion further down the mountain side.