1993:174 - BALLINROBE ABBEY, Friarsquarter West, Mayo

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Mayo Site name: BALLINROBE ABBEY, Friarsquarter West

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 93E0101

Author: Leo Morahan

Site type: Religious house - Augustinian friars

Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)

ITM: E 519468m, N 764920m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.627895, -9.217486

Conservation work to the south aisle and south side chapel of Ballinrobe Friary entailed excavation work in these areas. The build-up of material in the southern side chapel was particularly heavy, but most of this was more recent skeletal remains mixed with clay and loose stones. In all a total of between 70 and 90 individual remains appear to have been dumped here. There was a piscina evident on the south wall of this side chapel and a badly preserved door base on the west wall; just below this door internally a flat stone probably served as a step, while a small band of charcoal here possibly represented the remains of a burnt timber floor; a very small fragment of copper was found at this level. The north wall of the side chapel also contained a doorway, though somewhat narrower than its western counterpart and at a slightly lower level; the doorway connects the side chapel with the south aisle. The threshold stones of both these doorways survive and the dressings on the doors and the uncovered window are typical 15th-16th-century date. The level of excavation in this section was determined by the presence of the two doors, together with the piscina on the south wall; the piscina should be accessible through either of the doorways.

In the south aisle a built-up area occupied much of its eastern end and while there was a piscina evident on its south wall this material was built up as far as its base. The objective of the excavation here was to create a fairly constant floor level at the eastern end of the south aisle if this were possible without disturbing any authentic archaeological level. As with the side chapel, much of the fill material here consisted of fragments of human remains mixed with stone, earth and through which numerous fragments of clay pipes were found. A flat 19th-century grave slab was found lying on a damaged drystone wall. This wall was dismantled and removed, revealing further human remains and clay pipe fragments at the base. These remains were not removed and the limit of excavation was set here. The base of an ornate window mullion was found near the bottom of the drystone grave wall. Only a small portion of the east wall of the south aisle survived and extremely fragmentary at that; it seems that much of this wall was broken for the accommodation of later burials. Some plaster covers the south wall at the level of the piscina and extends so far eastwards to suggest that at some stage the south wall extended further in this direction.

There were no finds apart from the copper and charcoal. This segment of excavation has helped redefine the plan of this part of the friary.

Kilmurray Community Council, Castlehill, Ballina, Co. Mayo