2025:666 - Castlehacket, Galway

Archaeological testing at was undertaken at Castlehacket (GA042-085) to inform a conservation plan for the building. The removal of ivy from the building was monitored in February 2025 (license 25E159) while testing was completed between 6 and 13 October 2025. The testing was targeted to record the possible remains of a building extending east from the castle structure.

The on-site work included the removal of rubble on the south side of the building extension and the targeted testing at three separate locations. On the south side of the building extension sod (C1) and rubble fill (C2) was removed for a length of c. 14m revealing the remains of an east-west running wall with rubble extending at both ends (C3).  The mortared wall, with internal render, extended for a length of 9.2m, was 0.7-0.8m high and c. 0.8m wide.  The wall contained two window embrasures (C4 & C5) and evidence for a possible doorway at the eastern end.  Bricks forming an arch of an oven (C6) were revealed to the immediate east of the mortared wall (C3) while a concentration of rubble was also uncovered to the west of the mortared wall (C3).

Trench 1 was excavated in the south-east of the castle building to ascertain if sub-surface evidence for the original castle wall survives. Orientated north-south this trench measured 6m x 2m and was excavated to a depth of 0.2-0.4m. Removal of the sod revealed a layer of clay containing frequent inclusions of mortar and small stones (C.21) and rubble C.2. Features uncovered included a narrow wall (C8) running roughly east-west, a spread of stones (C9) and a rough paving (C11).  A large stone immediately east of the paving may mark the eastern extent of the entrance doorway. In the east of the trench a curving line of stones (C10) may be the foundations for a circular feature that guarded the entrance and connected to the mortared stone wall (C3). Further traces of this curving foundation (C10) were identified in the rubble located to the immediate west of the wall (C3) and it may represent the base of a circular tower.

Trench 2 was excavated to investigate if the north wall of the structure survived. The trench measured 2m x 2m and was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.5m.  The stratigraphy consisted of a mixed clay sand and mortar (C13) that extended to a maximum depth of 0.5m.  It overlay an area of paving (C14) that ran into bedrock in the south-east.  Context 14 was located below C1 and C13. It extended east-west for max. width of 1-1.2m. Context 16 was a band of dark sandy clay (0.2-0.5m wide) to the immediate west of C14.  Context 17 was a layer of sand and mortar (0.4-0.8m wide) to the west of C16 and possibly representing the robbed-out remains of a wall feature.

Trench 3 was excavated to investigate the east wall.  A low north-south running grass-covered bank was thought to cover the wall at this location. The trench measured 3m x 2m and was excavated through the bank to a maximum depth of 0.65m. The stratigraphy consisted of sod overlying a mix of small stones sand and mortar (C18) suggesting a robbed-out wall feature. A 0.8m wide sondage revealed the sand and mortar layer extended for a maximum depth of 0.65m and overlay a brown clay (C20) with animal bone inclusions.  In the west of the trench there was a concentrated area of stone and mortar (C19).  It appears likely that any wall feature that stood here has been robbed out.

The existing castle in Castlehacket townland is a four-storey structure with a section of the building missing in the south-east corner. The arrangement of the ground floor, with the insertion of a later vault and the blocking-up of an opening in the west wall, indicates that the original plan of the building has been altered and the possible 16th-century arrangement that survives today has its origin in an earlier layout.  Salter has suggested that the building may have its origin in a 13^th-century hall house (1993, 28) however this is not confirmed by the existing masonry or findings to date.  From the extant remains of the building’s upper floors, it seems that the structure was rectangular in plan and not L-shaped as survives today. The excavation of a test trench in the south-east corner of the building was undertaken to ascertain the existence of the original walls.  While none of the original walls of the building were recorded it is likely that they survive below the levels of archaeology revealed. The discovery of archaeological features including a wall, paving and a stone spread in Trench 1 are probably associated with the later building that was added to the east of the original castle. The existence of this later building is evident from the diagonal line on the external east wall-face of the castle that indicates a two-storey gabled structure.  Archaeological work on site has confirmed the existence of the south wall of this structure revealing a mortared wall with two window embrasures and the remains of an oven.  The wall extends c.14m east from the original castle wall and confirms the existence of a substantial structure.

Targeted archaeological testing to uncover the sub-surface remains of other walls of the building were unsuccessful and the concentrations of sand and mortar suggest many of these walls have been robbed out, however features associated with the building do survive below the surface.

Reference:

Salter, M. 1993 Castles and Stronghouses of Ireland. London, Folly Publications.