County: Galway Site name: HIGH ISLAND
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 21:26C Licence number: 95E0124 ext.
Author: Georgina Scally
Site type: Ecclesiastical enclosure, Church, Graveyard and Clochan
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 450083m, N 757222m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.543513, -10.262070
The sixth season of excavation on High Island, Co. Galway, was undertaken over a period of nine weeks from May to August 2000. Following on from previous years’ work (Excavations 1995, 35–6, Excavations 1996, 43–4, Excavations 1997, 73–4, Excavations 1998, 82–3, and Excavations 1999, 104–5), five areas (1–4 and 8) were excavated.
Excavation in Area 1 (located immediately outside north wall of church enclosure) established that the low wall (91), previously thought to be part of an earlier enclosure wall, was a retaining wall for burnt domestic refuse and was of no greater antiquity than the existing enclosure wall. Charcoal extracted from the refuse has produced a 2-sigma radiocarbon determination of AD 728–971.
Excavation in Area 2 (church interior) was concentrated beneath the central stretch of wall, removed prior to rebuilding. Excavation revealed that two of the eight graves outside the east wall of the church (18/21) pre-dated the existing church, thereby confirming existing indications of such.
Excavation in Area 3 (interior of large beehive hut, Cell B, located east of church and enclosure) revealed the full extent of the smelting pit (347) and associated surfaces. The pit and associated surfaces pre-date the cell.
Excavation in Area 4 (open-plan trench north of church and enclosure incorporating the smaller of the two standing beehive huts, Cell A, the later subrectangular structure (427) and the northern flank of the cashel wall) revealed the existence of an earlier cashel wall.
Excavation in Area 8 (open-plan trench surrounding exterior of the larger of the two standing beehive huts, Cell B) revealed a paved surface surrounding the south side of the cell. The surface may extend further around the cell, but excavation was not completed on the northern or eastern sides. Excavation also revealed the existence of a trough and associated cistern or sump, outside the cell towards the south-east; both are contemporary with the cell.
Thirty-eight small finds were recovered, eight of stone, twenty-one of metal (mostly nails or nail shafts in poor condition), one part of a bone pin, two glass finds, including one blue glass bead, and six ceramic fragments, all post-medieval in date. Of the stone finds recovered one was an elaborately decorated cross-slab with decoration of a style not previously identified on other cross-slabs from the island.
81 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4
