Neolithic and Bronze Age Landscapes of North Mayo: Report 2011

og and the underlying mineral soil on this hillslope, pre-bog field boundaries, if present, should
have been located over the course of the fieldwork.
Only 2 hills within the study area, Carrowmore hill (200 ft OD +) and Pollatomish hill (300 ft OD +)
show no evidence of prehistoric settlement. Their altitudes fall within the elevation band for
settlement noted on all of the other hillsides.
Modern settlement covers the S slopes of Carrowmore hill up to the 200 ft contour. The rest of the
hill comprises mostly cut-away bogland. Field boundaries, if originally present would be expected to
extend over the hilltop, as was noted on Gortmelia hill. Extensive excavation during the construction
of a modern waterworks on the summit of the hill failed to turn up any evidence of prehistoric
activity. Where bog still survives on the hilltop and slopes, pine trees can be seen in their position of
growth in its bottom layers. Scrubby pine and birch with their roots firmly in the mineral soil are also
evident. Partially cut-away bogland covers Pollatomish hill and if field boundaries were originally
present here, they should have been located in the course of the fieldwork.
It has already been noted that field boundaries are possibly present on the Southeast slope of
Faulagh hill in the vicinity of the court tombs, Ma38 and Ma23, but that the absence of turbary in
this area hindered their recovery. The other hill slopes where field systems could conceivably be
present are the entire North slope of Faulagh hill and the North slope of Knocknalower hill between
400 and 600 ft contours, also due to the absence of turbary. The correlation of turbary with the
West and S slopes, as rapid drying of turf is more favourable on such slopes, may be exerting a
certain influence on the noted distribution of prehistoric settlement.
The principal absence of settlement over the study area, however, is in the case of the lowlying
regions. These include the valley floors, the West and Northwest coastal strips, the North shore of
Carrowmore Lake and the Glenamoy plain in the E, with its extension into the area between Faulagh
and Pollatomish hills. Sufficient factors are present over these areas, including turbary, stream
erosion gullies, quarries and modern drainage, to permit the location of pre-bog archaeological
features, in at least some instances, if they are present. Since no archaeological evidence was
recorded, the absence is very likely to be genuine.
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