2026:093 - Camp Lane, Coolcholly, Ballyshannon, Donegal

The test excavation of a site in advance of its development at Camp Lane, in Coolcholly townland, on the outskirts of Ballyshannon, in County Donegal, was carried out from 14 and 16 January 2026. The testing of the proposed residential development was undertaken as part of the planning process and was necessary due to the size of the site and the scale of the proposed development.

The site consisted of an undulating field of pasture, which sloped down from north-east to south-west.  A line of willow scrub was located in a low-lying wet area along the south-east side of the field.  A higher area extended 10-15m from a modern housing development along the south-western half of the north-west site boundary. A second modern housing development was located to the south-east.  The line of a public sewer ran through the site, parallel to the south-east site boundary, as did a nearby stream. There were no recorded monuments located within or in the immediate vicinity of the proposed development site and no features of archaeological significance were visible within the site.

The testing consisted of the excavation of eight trenches, located to best cover the area of the proposed development that was accessible. The trenches measured 77m, 89m, 80m, 59.9m, 29.6m, 19.5m, 50.1m and 40.3m respectively; 1.8-2.4m wide and 0.25-1.2m deep.

The pre-development testing uncovered topsoil above natural subsoil in six of the eight test trenches.  Modern fill was found on the surface of the two remaining test trenches, above topsoil, above natural subsoils. A number of land drains crossed a number of the test trenches. Only modern finds were recovered.

A burnt spread was found in one of the trenches, near the south-eastern side of the site, at 0.25-0.3m below the surface. It measured 8.3-11.6m long and extended across the full width of the trench. It consisted of blackened soil which contained frequent heat-shattered rocks and charcoal.