1999:749 - KILLEIGH, Offaly

Test excavation was undertaken before an application for open planning permission for four detached dwellings from 19 to 22 July 1999. The site is within the area of archaeological potential around a recorded monument. An Early Christian monastery was reputedly founded at Killeigh by St Sincheall in the 5th century. An Augustinian priory and convent were established here in the 12th century, and a Franciscan friary was built in the 14th century. In a field on the south-west side of the village are the remains of an earthwork comprising two earthen banks with an intervening flat-bottomed fosse. This feature may be the remains of an Early Christian enclosure, possibly refortified in the post-medieval period. Aerial photography has revealed the outline of this enclosure encompassing the entire village of Killeigh. The present structural remains at the site comprise portions of a formerly extensive Franciscan friary, which may have been built on the site of an earlier Augustinian priory.

The proposed development site is 50–125m south-east of the extant structural remains. It comprises a relatively level football pitch and measures c. 110m north-west/south-east by 40m. A partially levelled earthen bank, 1m high and 5m wide, is visible 70m south-west of the proposed development site. The bank extends c. 30m north-east/south-west and is aligned with the earthwork and a curving field boundary in a field to the west. The bank may represent part of the enclosing element associated with the ecclesiastical site. There were no surface traces of this bank in the area comprising the site of the proposed development.

Two test-trenches, 65–90m long and 1.8m wide, were mechanically excavated at locations corresponding to the general footprint of the proposed development. A 5–7m-wide spread of compacted, silty sand was encountered at the south-east ends of the two trenches. This feature is orientated north-east/south-west and may represent levelled bank material and/or the upper fill of a large ditch. It is significant that this feature is aligned with the earthwork and the curving field boundary in the field to the west of the site. This strongly suggests that it is part of the enclosing element associated with the ecclesiastical remains at Killeigh. Two post-medieval features—a large, irregular spread of grey/brown, silty sand and an oval pit—were also encountered in Trench 2. The pit (2.5m north-south by 0.95m) contained a fill of light grey/brown, silty sand, and the finds included green glass wine bottle fragments, clay pipe stem fragments and several sherds of late/post-medieval pottery. A single sherd of Bellarmine pottery was recovered from the irregular spread. The other features encountered appear to be modern, but judgement must be reserved pending further investigation. The plans for the proposed development at this site have been revised, and a second phase of archaeological testing will be undertaken in 2000.

31 Ashbrook, Oranmore, Co. Galway