2000:0384 - GALWAY: Eyre Square, Galway

Work here, carried out on 8 May 2000, involved the test excavation of a site, in advance of development, at the former American Hotel at the north corner of Eyre Square, Galway. The site, at the bottom of Prospect Hill, was located within the zone of archaeological potential for Galway City. The hotel building was the subject of an assessment prior to demolition.

Two trial-trenches were excavated by machine. Trench A was located parallel to the west-south-west site boundary at 1.2–2.5m from it and measured 31.6m x 1.2–1.7m and 0.3–1.6m in depth. The stratigraphy consisted of a layer of concrete, below which were a rubble fill that contained a number of modern services. Below the rubble were an organic deposit, boulder clay and two concrete wall foundations. The black organic deposit contained occasional shell and was 0.1–0.3m thick.

Trench B was located parallel to the east-north-east site boundary, at 2–2.1m from it. It measured 33m x 1.2–1.7m and 0.4–1.4m in depth. The stratigraphy was much the same as Trench A. Below the surface concrete was a rubble fill within which were a number of modern services. Below the fill were a grey/black organic deposit, a concrete wall foundation and boulder clay. The organic deposit contained occasional oyster, mussel and winkle shells and was 0.1–0.4m thick.

Modern artefacts were recovered from the rubble fill. No artefacts were recovered from the organic deposit. Most of the evidence from the site was related to the building just demolished and was modern in date. The organic deposit did not yield any datable evidence; however, having investigated similar deposits all over Galway, including a number of sites in the immediate vicinity, the writer believes that it is safe to date the deposit to post-medieval or modern times.

Purcell House, Oranmore, Co. Galway