County: Clare Site name: KILLALOE: Convent Hill
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1758
Author: Richard Crumlish
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 570155m, N 672759m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.804997, -8.442623
Monitoring of groundworks associated with the construction of a supermarket, seven shop units, associated office space and storage, associated site development works and car-parking at Convent Hill, Killaloe, Co. Clare, was carried out between 11 and 20 November 2003. The proposed development was located within the constraint area for the town of Killaloe (SMR 45:33). Prior to the development works, this mostly derelict site consisted of the remains of school grounds, including a basketball court and two concrete bases for long gone pre-fabricated buildings. The eastern side of the site was part of a partially overgrown garden and orchard belonging to an adjacent convent.
The development area measured approximately 90m by 40m. The depth of excavation varied from nothing along the southern site boundary to 1.9m further north within the site. The stratigraphy consisted of topsoil, concrete and tarmac on the surface over orange/brown friable silt loam, grey loose sands and gravels, loose chippings (below the concrete), grey friable sandy loam and fill. The topsoil and fill contained a number of modern services. All the artefacts recovered, from the topsoil and the fill, were modern.
The excavation revealed both natural undisturbed stratigraphy and disturbed stratigraphy, the result of the construction of the convent school and its grounds.
61 An Cladrach, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo
