2002:0716 - CAHERNALEE, Galway

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Galway Site name: CAHERNALEE

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0640

Author: Billy Quinn, Moore Ltd.

Site type: Enclosure

Period/Dating: Undetermined

ITM: E 556871m, N 723272m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.258055, -8.646370

A previously unrecorded enclosure was discovered during monitoring work on Section 2 of the Pipeline to the West. The site, visible above ground as a curvilinear bank, had been partially damaged by pre-stripping operations. It was decided to reinstate the damaged bank using the original spoil material, and the pipeline was diverted to the north. The work, carried out from 24 to 31 May 2002, involved a full topographical survey of the site and the recording of the exposed sections.

The site consisted of a poorly preserved subcircular rath, c. 30m in diameter, defined by a wide bank that survived over approximately two-thirds of its circuit. The bank had been damaged by two quarry pits in its north-western quadrant. A field wall crossed the enclosure to the east, beyond which there was no surviving trace of the site. Internally to the south there was a linear depression measuring 8.65m north–south by 4m, possibly the site of a collapsed souterrain. As a result of damage caused by the right-of-way clearance work, a section of the bank, 5m long and 2.9m wide, had been cleared away. Further damage resulted in the stripping of a small area at the south-western exterior of the bank. This area, 6m long and 3m wide, exposed a stony deposit with occasional bone fragments. The spoil of the bank was deposited to the side of the wayleave. The tracking of heavy machinery over the soft ground exacerbated the damage.

All of the affected areas, including the exposed sections of the damaged bank and the stripped area to the south-west, were trowelled back and recorded; the stratigraphy consisted of a sod layer, 0.1–0.15m deep, overlying a moderately compact, mid-brown, silty clay layer with frequent small to medium-sized stones and occasional inclusions of bone and shell fragments. A single fragment of slag was recovered from the bank material. Investigation of the stripped area revealed the breaking edge of a cut arcing in line with the exterior base of the bank. The cut was dug into a light brown, natural clay that was backfilled with a stony deposit. This cut may indicate the presence of an exterior ditch. After plans were made, the site was backfilled and the bank was rebuilt with spoil from the original excavation. The sod that had been tracked over was refitted wherever possible, and the exposed ground was reseeded with grass.

Unit 6, Riveroaks, Claregalway, Co. Galway