1972:062 - LISCONLY, Galway

Early in the spring of 1972 the Department of Archaeology at University College, Galway was informed that a presumed ringfort in the townland of Lisconly, North of Tuam, Co. Galway, was being damaged by machinery during a road improvement scheme. Preliminary investigation by members of the Department showed that part of the bank on the north side had been removed, and the Board of Works was informed. It was decided that a rescue excavation should be mounted to elicit information about the structures that would be affected by the road works, and this excavation, accordingly took place in the middle of April.

The first, and largest, cutting, 13m by 3m, was opened in a north-south direction across the bank and suspected area of the outer ditch. It revealed a shallow bank, less than a metre high, made up of mixed soils. Darker soil on the outside of the bank suggested the presence of a ditch, but this area was fed with water by springs and the field drainage system, and without a pump was incapable of being excavated. It seems likely, however, that a ditch was present. On the inside of the bank, that is, to the south, the ground was less waterlogged, and it was possible to excavate an internal ditch some 4m wide and 2m deep. The upper half of this ditch was filled with sticky greyish-orange clayey material, sealing a layer 1m thick made up of vegetational material. Branches, twigs, leaves, hazelnuts and other material were present, and a number of animal and bird bones were found. Owing to the difficulties of dealing with the constant flow of water, only half of the width of the cutting, 1 1/2m, was excavated to the bottom of the ditch, and samples of the material were taken for botanical and radio-carbon analysis. Identification of the bones and analysis of the botanical specimens are still being undertaken, but an interesting feature already known is that most of the vegetational material still contained chlorophyll when excavated.

Three small cuttings were opened: Cutting 2, 4.5m by 3m, was placed across the presumed outer ditch, but the same in-surmountable problem of water prevented its excavation beyond 10–15cm. Cutting 3, 3m by 2.5m, was opened to the west of Cutting 1 on the inside of the bank in an attempt to follow two short lines of stones which had been found running S-N above the ditch in Cutting 1. They did not appear in the new cutting, which was backfilled. Cutting 4, 3m by 2m, was opened east of Cutting 1 for the same purpose; results were negative, but a large stone, 93cm by 68cm, was found resting on its end against the south face of the internal ditch.

No evidence as to date or purpose of the monument was obtained, and its identification in terms of function and period must wait until such time as excavations are undertaken in the interior.