County: Galway Site name: CLONTUSKERT (td. Abbeypark)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Mr. T. Fanning, National Parks and Monuments Branch, Office of Public Works
Site type: Religious house - Augustinian canons
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 585554m, N 720630m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.235859, -8.216391
A short excavation carried out during the month of February, was undertaken in order to complete the archaeological investigations (see Excavation 1971) prior to the main conservation works. The excavations were concentrated on the cloister garth, the west range and the western portion of the nave, all considerably disturbed by the insertion of burials.
Within the cloister garth a further small section of the foundations for the cloister arcade was revealed including a carved buttress base still in situ. This find was of considerable importance as it indicated the original level of the cloister garth and confirmed the suggested location of the pillars of the arcade. Excavation within the nave and outside the west doorway yielded many fragments of carved stonework belonging to the rood screen, and cloister arcade, some of which had been re-used to form roughly lined graves. With the exception of a few small slabs beside the west doorway no traces of the early floor levels had survived.
A number of small cuttings were made outside the east and west ranges. These produced a considerable quantity of carved and dressed stonework among which were fragments of two cross-finials and further fragments of the traceried east window. When reassembled it was found that all but two pieces of the tracery belonging to this window had been recovered. Small finds were few and unstratified. They consisted mainly of iron knives and pins and a number of quernstones.
