2025:402 - Fore, Westmeath

Archaeological work was carried out under ministerial Consent (C001486) in November 2025 as part of a conservation management plan (CMP) which was commissioned by Westmeath County Council to assess the cultural significance and building conservation requirements of the wayside crosses at Fore, Co. Westmeath.

As part of this process a site meeting was held at the various locations involving National Monuments Service, Westmeath Heritage officer, Conservation Architect, Stone Specialist and Project Archaeologist. In four of the monuments, WM003-097—-, WM004-010—- WM004-011—- and WM004-025—-, it was agreed that minor works would be beneficial in coming to an understanding of particular issues surrounding the four sites and that the results of these works would assist greatly in the development of a targeted conservation management plan specifically designed to the particular circumstances of each of the sites.

The works were, in the main, limited to vegetation clearance, but at one of the sites, WM004-011—-, a small test excavation in the area between the cross and the road, revealed an area of paving, probably laid down in the 1990s. The present location of WM004-025—-, on top of a stone plinth, clearly recently built, is also probably the result of works in the 1990s.

Further works are anticipated to take place in 2026.