Children's burial ground

The National Monuments Service's description

There are no surface indications of the 'Children's Burial Ground' at this point. It was situated in generally poor land overlooking Tremone Bay to the N.

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Date of upload: 22 September 2008

Excavation licence number 01E0451
Monitoring of groundworks associated with a housing development took place on 31 May and 1 June 2001 at Ballymagaraghy townland, Carrowmenagh, Co. Donegal. The development consisted of the construction of three holiday dwellings and a biofilter package sewerage treatment plant. The proposed development is at the top of a steep, north-facing slope on the shore of Tremone Bay, on the north-east coast of the Inishowen Peninsula. The nearest monument to the development site was a children's burial-ground, RMP 12:16, 60m to the west. A number of outhouses were recently demolished on the development site.
The area of the housing development measured 36m west-north-west/east-south-east by up to 12m wide. Most of this area was excavated for foundations, which were 0.7-2.1m deep. The biofilter treatment plant was located c. 40m to the north-west and was 3.2m east-west, 1.8m wide and up to 1.2m deep.
The stratigraphy encountered during excavation of the foundations consisted of rubble and topsoil on the surface, above rubble fill, a mortar floor, orange/brown natural subsoil and bedrock. The stratigraphy at the site of the biofilter treatment plant was topsoil on the surface above rust-coloured natural subsoil.
The rubble, rubble fill and mortar floor were the remains of the outhouses recently demolished on the site. The topsoil, rubble and rubble fill contained modern artefacts. (Excavations Bulletin 2001)
Richard Crumlish, Archaeological Services Unit Ltd, Purcell House, Claregalway Road, Oranmore, Co. Galway.