Archaeology
Mayo County Council has undertaken substantial development projects over the last 30 years which have transformed and modernised the counties roads, water services and general infrastructure.
The impact of this development has necessitated significant archaeological mitigation. Where possible, archaeological remains are avoided with preservation in situ being the preferred option. Occasionally, archaeological sites could not be avoided or were newly identified by advance testing or archaeological monitoring. This has led to numerous archaeological excavations carried out under licence from the National Museum of Ireland and the National Monuments service.
The results of many of these excavations have been made available through various publication, presentations and detailed site reports.
Mayo Library Archaeology
Mayo County Library local history section hosts a page dedicated to archaeology and heritage identified on the county’s roads and water services, infrastructural schemes. The page includes Power Point presentations and reports prepared by MCC Archaeologists.. It is planned to add to this .
Aerial photography has been a component of road design since the 1950’s and numerous photographs were collected retained by John Clarke (RIP) Chief Technician, MCC, have been scanned and are available on this page. Mayo Library Archaeology Page
TII Digital Heritage Collections
Consideration of archaeology is fully integrated into the TII national road and light rail scheme planning process and is directly managed by the TII Archaeology & Heritage Section. The digital heritage collections of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) make their heritage collections available online through the DRI accessed via the following link. TII Digital Heritage Collections Page
The TII Digital Heritage Collection includes full reports on, in excess of, 120, archaeological excavations carried out in advance of roads construction in Mayo. These can be accessed at the following link. DRI Repository
TII publications including articles from Mayo can also be accessed on the DRI
Settlement, Industry and Ritual – 2006
This Monograph includes a paper by Joanna Nolan (MCC) on ‘The excavation of a Children’s burial ground at Tonybaun, Ballina, Co Mayo in advance of the N26 Ballina to Bohola (Stage 1). Prehistoric stone tools and an Iron Age Furnace were also identified on this site.
This Monograph includes a paper by Richard Gillespie (MCC), Prehistory and History on the N5 Charlestown Bypass, in counties Mayo and Roscommon, which included substantial, newly-identified Neolithic, Bronze-age and Early Medieval sites.
This Monograph details the over 40 archaeological sites excavated as part of the N5 Charlestown Bypass scheme. See link below to an independent review. The printed volume is available in the reference section of Mayo County Library and it is planned to make a digital copy generally available.
Of Troughs and Tuyeres: The Archaeology of the N5 Charlestown Bypass – 2010
Please see the link below to an article on limekilns and a 3D digital model of a limekiln at Liscromwell in County Mayo.
A new dimension to a 19th-century limekiln in Liscromwell, Co. Mayo
Links to further publications relating to TII and Mayo County Council Archaeology can be found in the following document
Archaeological Publications Relating to TII and Mayo County Council Archaeology