1999:310 - ORANMORE SEWERAGE SCHEME, Galway

Work on various archaeological sites on the line of the Oranmore Sewerage Scheme continued in 1999. Work carried out here in 1998 was reported in Excavations 1998, 84–6. The writer completed several sites started in 1998, and the remaining sites were then excavated or completed by Leo Morahan (see Nos 311–14 Excavations 1999).

Site XVII, Millplot, mill (site of)
Work was completed on the site of the millpond and millpond wall. The millpond wall was shown to have been a stone-faced embankment with man caulking used as a waterproofing layer between the plinth and the lower courses of the wall. Several further pieces of millstones were found in the stone paving that lay on top of the millpond embankment or millpond wall.

Excavation revealed the existence of a rough setting of stones, some further pieces of wattle-like strands and the occasional piece of worked wood. No human bones in addition to the skull found in 1998 (Excavations 1998, 85) were discovered. The skull showed several slash marks, and some very sharply incised lines at the back of the skull seem to provide evidence for scalping. The shingled layer contained rounded stones including unworked chert. Several pieces of unworked wood were found. The remainder of the site was resolved.

Site XXX, Oranmore
This site, which in 1998 produced a series of pits, several scrapers and debitage of worked flint and chert, as well as fragments of several stone axes and a spindle-whorl, was completed and resolved. Some further pits, prehistoric tools and waste flakes were found.

Site XXXI, Oranmore
Work was completed on this site, which had previously produced about half of a Later Mesolithic Bann Flake from a disturbed context. Some chert, much of it unworked, was found. The clearance cairns and embankments proved to be of post-medieval date and produced some late pottery and clay pipe fragments.