County: Mayo Site name: AGHLEAM
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Gearoid Conroy, Galway Archaeological Society, University College, Galway.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 462680m, N 820908m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.118873, -10.100564
A one day watching brief was carried out to monitor the excavation of foundation lines for a private dwelling house in compliance with a condition attached to the granting of full planning permission by Mayo Co. Council. On O.S. 6" sheet no.24 (ed.1921) the word 'cave' (site of) is marked in Gothic script at the centre of the plot on which the house was to be built. The O.S. Name Books give the following information: '1898...remarkable cave, in antiquity...closed for upwards of 30 years'. From this it would appear that the O.S. relied on local information in order to plot the position of the cave. Local information confirms the tradition of a cave but places its location in the next field to the north of the plot being developed.
The watching brief consisted of monitoring the excavation of the house and garage foundations down to bedrock. Trial trenches were also opened at right angles within the area of the house and along the proposed lines of the water mains, sewage and septic tank. A uniform and previously undisturbed stratigraphy was revealed in all the sections. No trace of the 'cave' (souterrain?) or any evidence of associated structures or settlement was found. Mayo Co. Council were informed of these findings and advised that there could be no objection to the proposed development on archeological grounds. The landowner covered all the costs incurred.
