County: Galway Site name: KILMURVY, Inis Mór
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 110:44 Licence number: 02E1171
Author: Fiona Rooney, Arch. Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Midden
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 481953m, N 710021m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.127651, -9.763892
Pre-development testing was undertaken before the submission of a planning application for a proposed extension to an existing house adjacent to Teampall Mac Duach, within an early ecclesiastical site, on Inis Mór, one of the Aran Islands. Eight trenches were mechanically excavated. They revealed that the ground rose naturally from west to east, with bedrock levels found directly below the sod at the eastern end of the field. Elsewhere a rich topsoil was uncovered directly below the sod. This sandy topsoil was probably fertilised with seaweed, which would also account for the frequent shell inclusions in this layer. A more concentrated deposit of shell was identified in Trench 5, which appeared to represent midden material. Although the location of the midden will not be affected by the proposed extension to the house, it may be affected by a proposed pathway giving access to Teampall Mac Duach. If the construction of the pathway is to continue, it is recommended that it be built on top of the existing surface.
Ballydavid South, Athenry, Co. Galway
