County: Galway Site name: POLLBOY, CO. GALWAY–TUSKERT, CO. ROSCOMMON
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0399
Author: Jerry O’Sullivan, NRA Project Archaeologist
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 585901m, N 729513m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.315699, -8.211587
Monitoring of engineering boreholes (0.3m in diameter) took place on a proposed crossing of the River Suck, on opposing banks of the river. These formed part of the preliminary survey and design work for the N6 Galway–Ballinasloe Road Scheme, being developed by M.C. O’Sullivan for Galway County Council and the National Roads Authority.
The site comprises parts of the east and west banks of the River Suck along the county boundary between Galway and Roscommon. The area of investigation extended over sectors of the riverbank c. 50m long on either side and included a narrow island that divides the river in mid-channel. The river itself is c. 100m wide at this point, and there are undulating pasture fields on the banks at either side. All boreholes were on the riverbanks or on the island, with none underwater.
The area under investigation was considered to be archaeologically sensitive for two reasons. A diving team directed by Eamonn Kelly for the National Museum of Ireland investigated this stretch of the river in 1991, before dredging and construction of a navigation lock in the eastern channel by the Office of Public Works. Underwater finds in neighbouring Kellysgrove townland included medieval and post-medieval objects, as well as otter traps and deposits of animal bone (Excavations 1991, No. 59). Also, there was formerly an industrial-period mill (SMR 88:21) nearby on the east bank, although this was demolished in the 1990s during the construction of the navigation lock. There are no records of an earlier mill on the site, but this must be considered at least a possibility.
The results of monitoring were negligible. The sediment extracted by the boring rig was in pulverised form. (A typical sediment sequence was thin loam topsoil; a compact, grey subsoil; interbanded clays, sands and stony gravels; and finally limestone bedrock or large boulders at c. 6.5m on the riverbanks and 4.5m on the island.) Thus there was little or no likelihood of, say, metal objects, flint debitage or roundwood fragments surviving in recognisable form.
Further assessment of the river crossing is proposed and is likely to follow in 2003. This will take the form of terrestrial test-trenches and an underwater archaeological survey.
Galway County Council
