1993:113 - LOUGHREA: The Square, Galway

Nine terraced houses are planned for an area measuring 51m north-south and 46m east-west, which is situated within the medieval town of Loughrea. There is a record of a castle built in Loughrea by Richard de Burgo in 1236 but its whereabouts is not known. The excavation commenced on 30th November and finished on 3rd December.

The site consisted of a large area of waste land covered by scrub and surrounded by high walls. It is located in the southern part of Loughrea Town north-west of the junction of Castle St. and Barrack St.

A uniform cobble-stone layer covered most of the site just under the sod. This layer was prevalent except for two areas along the west wall and a central portion where they may have been previously removed. Lead piping and fragments of red brick were found under the cobbles.

The foundations of the proposed developments and the overall area of the site was tested by trial trenching. In all seven trenches were dug in a grid-like pattern: all proved to be archaeologically sterile and the stratigraphy of the area was fairly uniform. The bedrock lay close to the surface, up to 0.3m in places.

Trial Trench 1 was dug to assess the overall content of the site and to see if there was any curbing and/or ancient foundations in the area. It measured 50.2m x 0.5m wide and stretched from the base of the north wall to the base of the south wall. It cut through Trenches 2, 3, 4 and 5. The cobble layer exists for most of its length except for two areas roughly central to the site.

Trial Trenches 2 and 3 ran parallel with each other and were dug across the foundation of the development in the north sector of the site. The contexts were similar in each case except for a portion in Trial Trench 2 which had a mixture of subsoil and stones with intrusions of red brick under the cobble layer.

Trial Trench 4 was dug at the foundation of the development at the south section of the site. Trial Trench 5 was dug just inside the south wall at the foundation of the development: it measured 24m x 2m wide. This trench produced the foundations of walls which were of uniform width and corresponded to the impressions on the inner face of the south wall where small shops were built.

Trial Trench 6 was similar to Trial Trench 5 in nature and context, it measured 17.4m x 0.5m.

Trial Trench 7 had similar stratigraphy to trenches TT1, TT2 and TT3. It measured 29m x 0.5m and was archaeologically sterile.

The absence of cobbles in the central area could have been due to recent disturbance or the presence of a central feature like a drinking trough. The presence of red brick fragments and a lead pipe under the cobbles would suggest that they probably date to the last century. The chestnut tree at 126 years old was growing on top of the cobbles; this indicates that the site may have gone out of use before 1867.