County: Mayo Site name: BALLINROBE: Abbey Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 118:22 Licence number: 99E0240
Author: Richard Crumlish, Archaeological Services Unit Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 519340m, N 764716m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.626042, -9.219367
Pre-development testing was carried out on 27 May 1999 in response to conditions of planning for a development consisting of the construction of two townhouses, one apartment and three garages at Abbey Street, in the northern outskirts of Ballinrobe town, Co. Mayo. These conditions were included as Ballinrobe town is a recorded monument and the site is adjacent to a 13th-century Augustinian abbey. The Augustinian abbey and its graveyard were across the road to the north-north-west, 20m from the development site. A dwelling and outhouse of modern date had recently been demolished on the site.
Two trial-trenches were excavated by machine. They were orientated north-west/south-east and were 21.2–22m long, 0.9–1.3m wide and 0.25–1.8m deep. The stratigraphy uncovered was similar in both trenches, consisting of rubble above concrete, cobblestones, wall foundations, a manhole, a soakage pit, topsoil and natural subsoil.
The rubble represented the foundation and fabric of the dwelling and outhouse recently demolished. The cobbles represented the original floor of the outhouse that stood at the north-west end of the site. The topsoil was a part of the garden between the dwelling and outhouse. The three wall foundations were associated with the building just demolished, as were the manhole and the soakage pit.
All the evidence from the testing was of modern occupation and activity at the site. Modern artefacts only were recovered.
Purcell House, Oranmore, Co. Galway
