2025:373 - Kilboultragh, Cork

The author was commissioned to complete a programme of archaeological testing and a cultural heritage assessment of a proposed anaerobic digestion facility to produce renewable biomethane, CO2, and a bio-based fertiliser from organic material along with an access road at Kilboultragh, Macroom, County Cork. The site currently comprises a number of pasture fields and one stubble field.

Several monuments are recorded in the vicinity. A fulacht fiadh (CO059-174–) is to the immediate east of the application area. To the south is a burial ground (CO059-154–) and Ecclesiastical enclosure (CO059-186—-), and to the southwest is a stone circle (CO059-151–). To the north of the proposed access road, there is a ringfort and souterrain site (CO059- 152001/002–), along with a standing stone (CO059-152003–).

The testing was carried out pre-planning at the request of the client. A geophysical survey was completed by J. M. Leigh Surveys (Licence No. 25R0333) in early September 2025. The geophysical survey concluded that ‘although some responses and trends of potential interest were identified, there is no clear archaeological pattern, and these may equally result from the underlying geology. There are no responses of clear archaeological potential within the data sets.’

Testing of the proposed development was carried out in dry and bright conditions on 18 and 19 November 2025.  A backhoe excavator with a bucket of 1.9m width removed topsoil and sod and the subsurface ground was excavated by a toothless ditching bucket to undisturbed ground. The excavated ground was assessed for the presence of archaeological features. The testing area comprised of a 740m strip (referred to as Areas A-C in the geophysical survey) for the proposed access road, leading from a local road to an area to the south of derelict farm buildings (Areas D & E). The proposed access road runs through a series of pasture fields, with the main area contained within to the south and west of the derelict pig farm.

A total of 14 test trenches were excavated. An originally planned Trench 15 was unexcavated as this area will not be impacted upon by the proposed development. A total distance of roughly 1200m was excavated in the form of linear trenches along the proposed access road and trenches were placed at regularly spaced intervals in a grid pattern in the main area (Areas D & E).

The stratigraphy encountered was consistent throughout the site and comprised topsoil and sod ranging in depth from 200mm to 400mm in depth throughout. At the eastern part of the site (Trenches 6 – 14) this overlay a loose sandy mid-brown to reddish natural subsoil with occasional inclusions of large boulders and patches of a loose gravel material. Trenches 1-5 revealed a looser sandier mid-brown clay with frequent inclusion of small stones. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted.