2025:064 - FIGART, Newrow, Milltown, Co. Donegal, Donegal

Uisce Éireann’s Water Network Programme, Beltony Trunk scheme, is located in County Donegal. The scheme involved the installation of c.1015m of rehabilitated water mains along the existing road. The construction techniques used were directional drilling and open-cut trenching.

The monitoring followed a high-level Cultural Heritage Screening Assessment (CHSA) undertaken for the scheme by Archaeological Management Solutions. The CHSA found that one Recorded Monument (ringfort-unclassified, DG070-020—-) is located in the vicinity of the scheme. Although the scheme route did not traverse the Zone of Notification (ZoN) for the Recorded Monument, it was in proximity to its ZoN. An area of archaeological potential surrounding the ZoN within the study area was therefore identified as a precaution (CH08). The CHSA also noted nine additional undesignated cultural heritage assets in proximity to the scheme, including the site of a well as depicted on the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map (1905), a watercourse/townland boundary, two pipes (site of) as depicted on the first-edition six-inch Ordnance Survey map (1836), and an area of archaeological potential located at the western end of the scheme due to the proximity of the route to the River Deele (CH09).

The archaeological monitoring was carried out intermittently between 31 January and 25 February 2025.

Excavation of six access pits located within the above-mentioned locations along the scheme route was archaeologically monitored.

No potential archaeological objects, features or deposits were found during the monitoring of the scheme. The top of a stone culvert was revealed in one of access pits at the location of CH10 (pipe; site of) as depicted on the first-edition six-inch Ordnance Survey map (1836).