The N73 Clogher Cross to Waterdyke Road Realignment involved construction of junction upgrades and localised realignments of a 2.7 km section of the N73 Mallow to Mitchelstown road in Clogher, Shanagh and Waterdyke townlands, Co. Cork.
Approximately 8.73 hectares were acquired for road construction, of which c. 5.48 hectares was classed as agricultural land. Stage (i) test excavation was carried out by TVAS (Ireland) Ltd in January & February 2012 (licence no. 11E0419). Four archaeological sites were identified in the course of testing and fully excavated as part of Stage (iii)/(iv) services, Waterdyke 1 (12E0085), Waterdyke 2 (12E0082), Waterdyke 3a (12E0084) and Shanagh 1 (12E00086).
The project design was subsequently modified to provide an underpass and associated drainage outfall in the townland of Waterdyke. The modification resulted in the acquisition of an additional c. 0.36 hectares of agricultural land north and south of the existing N73 road in Waterdyke townland. Part of the northern portion of the land acquired was located within the Zone of Notification associated with An Claidh Dubh (SMR no. CO018-001), a 14 km-long linear earthwork thought to be of Iron Age date.
Stage (i)a Test Excavation was undertaken by TVAS (Ireland) Ltd in August 2021. Two small pits or possible post-holes were identified in the drainage outfall trench approximately 18m south of An Claidh Dubh and within its Zone of Notification. The features, which were fully excavated, were designated Waterdyke 4. Charcoal samples from both features were radiocarbon dated to the Early-Middle Neolithic and the Late Neolithic. A flint bipolar flake was the only artefact recovered. The archaeological features did not extend beyond the boundary of the approximately 2 m wide trench excavated for the drainage outfall. Detection device licence 21R0218 was also issued for use of a metal detector, no archaeologically significant metal artefacts were retrieved.