Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

First identified in an unpublished archaeological LiDAR report (Davis, 2015) and unpublished archaeo-geophysical report (Bonsall & Gimson 2015) commissioned by Roscommon County Council as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the ‘N5 Ballaghaderreen - Scramoge Road Project’. Located on a broad hill with a valley (Wth c. 40m) just to the E. While the LiDAR image depicts a semi-circular feature defined by a scarp N-E-S, an antiquity could not be confirmed when inspected in uncut meadow grass in July, 2016.
As part of the planning conditions associated with the road project, this feature was to be preserved in situ. While the feature itself was not tested during a subsequent phase of works, a re-evaluation of the geophysics and the discovery, through archaeological excavation, of features adjacent to it (a ring-ditch (RO022-170001-; pits (RO022-170002- and RO022-170003-) and linear features (RO022-170004-)) suggested to the excavators that the feature was archaeological in nature, comprising a D-shaped enclosure (diam. c. 26m E-W) with a straight W-side (L c. 29m N-S) with a possible annexe at S.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Michael Moore

Date of revised upload: 4 August 2023

References

Davis, S. 2015 N5 Strokestown - Ballaghderreen preferred route corridor: Lidar assessment. unpublished report for Roscommon County Council: UCD School of Archaeology

Bonsall J & Gimson H, 2015 N5 Ballaghaderreen- Scramoge Road Development, Archaeological Consultancy Services, Stage (i) i Geophysical Survey, License 15R123 & 15E0438, 2015. Unpublished report for Roscommon County Council.