County: Galway Site name: GALWAY: 42/44 Middle Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: RMP 94:100 Licence number: 01E0885
Author: Richard Crumlish, Archaeological Services Unit Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 529815m, N 725182m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.272324, -9.052219
Pre-development testing on the site of a proposed mixed development, including pub/restaurant and provision of basement store, was carried out on 20 and 21 September 2001 at Nos 42/44 Middle Street, Galway. The testing was undertaken as the proposed development is located within the zone of archaeological potential for Galway, within the original medieval city.
The building which stood on the proposed development site was of mid-20th-century date. It was demolished prior to the testing. An architectural impact assessment of the building was forwarded to the Architectural Heritage Advisory Service of Dúchas prior to the demolition.
Four trial-trenches were excavated. The stratigraphy consisted of a concrete floor slab, below which was rubble fill, three mortared rubble features, orange/brown natural subsoil and bedrock. The rubble fill contained modern artefacts. The three features, located directly below the rubble fill, required further investigation. This was carried out, under an extension to the same licence, between 10 October and 8 November 2001.
The monitoring of the removal of the overburden showed it to consist entirely of rubble fill above the three features, natural subsoil, natural sands and gravels, and bedrock. The rubble fill produced a number of architectural fragments.
The first of the three features consisted of a roughly rectangular pit, 2.7m long, 1.15–1.4m wide and 1.2m deep, constructed of mortared rubble and located within the natural subsoil. Render covered its interior faces. It was filled with architectural fragments, rubble, red and yellow brick, oyster shell, animal bone fragments, modern and post-medieval artefacts. Three smaller rubble foundations extended from three sides of the pit, only one of which was tied into the pit wall.
The second feature consisted of a wall foundation, 2.5m long, 0.7–0.8m wide and 0.6m high. It was constructed of mortared rubble and two courses were extant.
The last feature was a second wall foundation, located along one side of the pit. It was 4.6m long, 1.25–1.4m wide and 0.5–0.6m high. It was constructed of mortared rubble and was truncated by the pit.
Modern artefacts found within all three features dated from the 19th century at the earliest. The pit would seem to have been filled in when the recently demolished building was being constructed and then used as part of the foundation for the back wall of that building. The two wall foundations related to previous building/s on the site.
Purcell House, Claregalway Road, Oranmore, Co. Galway
