County: Galway Site name: KILCOLGAN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Michael Holland
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 541363m, N 718130m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.210360, -8.877823
This two-week excavation took place as a condition of the granting of planning permission, and was funded by the landowner.
An antiquarian reference identified the site as that of a medieval tower or 'sepulchral mound' (Knox, H.T., J.G.A.H.S. 9 (1915-16), 129-177). The only visible feature today, a bank or scarp on the western side of the site, coincides (at least in part) with the location of an earthwork shown by Knox. The 'mound' marked by Knox was not evident on the site, a slight hollow being present instead. The eastern and north-eastern part of the site had been disturbed c. 1987 during renovation of the nearby enclosed farm-yard for use as a craft centre.
Five areas were investigated, distributed between the location of the 'tower'/'mound' of Knox, the area of proposed development, and the bank/scarp. No structures were revealed, and the finds were of post-medieval and modern date. They consisted almost entirely of broken glass and pottery.
The complete absence of any structure and/or of finds of medieval or earlier date must constitute strong negative evidence regarding the nature of the site. Specifically, the possible presence of a tower or mound can probably be discounted. The bank/scarp revealed nothing of itself on investigation that could shed any light on its formation, but again the negative evidence must constitute a strong indication as to the date of this feature.The finds would date activity on the site from c. 1680 to the present day. The nature of the finds would suggest that human activity was slight, and was very probably mainly confined to the dumping of minimal amounts of rubbish.
A full excavation report has been lodged with the relevant authorities and it is hoped to publish some of the details in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society.
'Ard Mhuire' , 8 College Road, Galway
