1998:252 - GALWAY: Hyne's CarPark, Merchant's Road/Dock Road, Galway

Archaeological test excavation was undertaken in January 1998 at the request of Galway Corporation. The site comprises an open carpark area measuring c. 57m north-west/south-east x 67m. It lies south-east of the walled town in an area that must have formed part of the tidal flood-plain in the medieval period. The 1651 Pictorial Map of Galway depicts enclosed garden plots in this area.

Six test-trenches, averaging 50m north-west/south-east, were excavated. The modern rubble landfill was 1.7m deep and overlay a dark grey/ brown, clayey silt, with infrequent inclusions of pebbles, cobbles, organic matter, shell, bone and flecks of charcoal and mortar. Two sherds of post-medieval pottery were recovered from the upper level of this deposit in Trench 3. The deposit was 0.4m thick and overlay the natural ground, which varied from a grey, coarse sand and gravel to a light brown, sticky boulder clay. Occasional large migmatite boulders and outcrops of bedrock were also encountered.

A wall was encountered 7.5m from the north-west boundary wall in Trenches 1 and 2. It extended north-east/south-west and ran parallel to the north-west boundary wall. The wall is 0.8m thick and is built of roughly coursed limestone masonry. It rests on a foundation plinth of large limestone boulders, which overlies the natural boulder clay.

A substantial stone-lined drain (north-north-west/south-south-east) was encountered in Trench 6. The drain is faced with large, roughly worked limestone boulders and angular cobbles and is capped and floored with large limestone flags. The wall and stone-lined drain appear to date to the period following extensive land reclamation in this area in the early 19th century. No archaeological deposits or features were encountered.

31 Ashbrook, Oranmore, Co. Galway