2002:0737 - GALWAY: Merlin Park, Galway

The archaeological brief at Merlin Park was determined by extensive groundworks that had taken place in the immediate vicinity of the tower-house in 2001. These works included the excavation of a large pit/hole to the west of the building and the stripping of large areas of ground immediately surrounding the tower-house. The ground was stripped to bedrock level and was backfilled with stone excavated from the area. After consultation, it was agreed that a programme of works should be undertaken to assess the damage and to catalogue the archaeological features/finds in the area.

A survey conducted at the site included the area immediately surrounding the tower-house, where disturbance to the original ground level had taken place. Piles of rubble to the south-west of the building were examined, and architectural fragments were collected. In addition to the disturbance caused in 2001, it was noticed that four further areas had been disturbed in more recent months. These areas are to the south-west of the tower-house, and the disturbance involved the felling of trees to accommodate corridors measuring c. 90m by 6m, which were subsequently levelled, with all works being undertaken without archaeological supervision. Deposits of disturbed shell were found in three of these corridors, with the greatest concentration consisting of a large shell midden in the second corridor from the west.

The disturbed areas to the east and south-east of the tower-house were also examined, and the removal of the stone was monitored. Two further shell deposits, which had been greatly disturbed by the previous year’s work, were identified in this area. Finds from the area included occasional pottery and glass fragments, a fragment of a quernstone, architectural fragments and fragments of roof tiles. Similar finds of modern (20th-century) pottery and glass fragments were recovered from the monitoring in the north and south of the tower-house. Some 13m north-east of the building, faint traces of a structure were uncovered during the monitoring. A second structure survives c. 22m east of the tower-house.

Eight trenches were manually excavated: three to the west of the tower-house, one to the south and four to the immediate east. Faint traces of the south-facing wall of the ancillary building were visible before the testing, which sought to locate and record the other walls of the building. Trenches E, G and H corresponded with the northern, southern and western limits of the ancillary building, and their excavation revealed the walls of the structure, which measured c. 6.5m by 7.32m and had a maximum height of 2.1m. In these trenches hardcore and disturbed topsoil overlay a loose, brown, sandy clay that was probably dump material. Finds from this context included fragments of pottery and glass. The topsoil overlay a light brown, silty clay with similar inclusions. Where the walls of the ancillary structure survived, it was apparent that it was of similar construction to the tower-house. It was composed of fairly well-coursed limestone blocks with mortar throughout. Cut-and-dressed blocks were reserved for the quoin stones at the eastern end. A stone plinth extended from the base of the walls.

These results highlight the significance of the building on both a local and a national scale. Such well-constructed tower-houses with finely cut stone and decorated spandrels are a rarity in County Galway and indicate the importance of the building and its occupants from the 15th/16th century onwards. The obvious displays of wealth of the occupants are further apparent in the construction of a large extension/hall against the eastern wall of the structure. Access to this ancillary building was via a doorway in the north-east corner of the tower-house. The doorway (1.1m wide) was indicated by dressed and chamfered jambstones. Immediately east of the doorway two large limestone steps are all that survived of a stairway that ascended to the north-east corner of the tower-house, suggesting that a second doorway was situated at this level. This theory is substantiated by the identification of a stop-stone protruding from the east wall of the tower-house. This cut-and-dressed stone was the basal stone of a doorway that may have given access to the first floor of the hall and/or the first-floor entrance of the tower-house. The identification of a wall running north–south against the east wall of the tower-house and the survival of a number of protruding stones at this level suggest that the steps led to a doorway in the north-western corner of the hall building, which in turn gave access to the first-floor entrance to the tower-house. The internal layout of the hall structure is not known, as it has been backfilled with rubble. The testing also revealed an external garderobe/latrine structure that was built against the south-east corner of the tower-house and serviced the upper floor/floors of the ancillary structure. Constructed of well-coursed cut stone and with a basal batter, this feature blended in with the tower-house and the additional building. This rectangular structure measured 1.23m by 1.92m and survived to a maximum height of 2m.

Ancillary buildings constructed onto tower-houses are not uncommon in Ireland and were obviously the solution to obtaining extra accommodation space. A stone hall was found in association with castle remains at Askeaton, Co. Limerick, while at Lemenagh, Co. Clare, a hall was added to a tower-house in 1643. Coolhull, Co. Wexford, is an example of a fortified house that possibly developed from the hall castle. These are three-storey structures that usually do not have a vault. The houses are more spacious and comfortable than tower-houses but have many of their defensive features. Although only the lower walls of the ancillary building survive at Merlin Park, it is evident that the stonework and dressing are similar to that in the tower-house. With only the outer walls of the building exposed, it is not possible to determine the layout of the interior, but the traces of gable surviving on the east wall suggest that it was a three-storey structure. It is clear that, whatever the layout of this ancillary structure, its construction allowed for a greater display of wealth and a more spacious and luxurious interior.