County: Galway Site name: GALWAY: Eyre Square
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0677
Author: Billy Quinn, Moore Archaeological & Environmental Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 530060m, N 725443m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.274699, -9.048619
Monitoring was carried out at Eyre Square, Galway, between 27 May and 14 June 2003. The proposed development involved the mechanical excavation of trenches to survey the location of underground utilities in and around Eyre Square. The purpose of the works is to facilitate the development of the design of new utilities, which may involve the diversion of existing ones. The development is within the zone of potential for the medieval town of Galway, SMR 94:100.
Eighteen trenches and one soak pit were investigated. Archaeological deposits were found in Trenches 2 and 15; elsewhere the stratigraphy was made up of redeposited modern fill. Trench 2, situated at the northern end of Eyre Square, ran from a premises currently occupied by Boyle Sports, west across the road towards a traffic island situated to the rear of the Liam Mellows monument. The trench measured 18m in length and was dug to an average depth of 0.7m. Excavation at the north-west terminal under the footpath exposed a series of services overlying a cobbled surface c. 0.65m below the pavement level. The cobbles were well sorted, measured 0.8m by 0.45m and consisted of wellrounded and subangular limestones and granites. The cobbles were covered by a composite grey-black silty sand with modern pottery, clay-pipe fragments, glass, a non-ferrous ring and a heavily oxidised circular disc, possibly a merchant’s token.
Trench 15 was parallel to Trench 4 at the westnorth- west corner of the square. It measured approximately 30m in length and ran from a paved area near a tree box across the road towards Lally’s coach-tour offices. Below the paved area at the southwest terminal was a rubble deposit excavated to a depth of 0.5m. This deposit of mostly limestones was in a grey, silty sand matrix with occasional oyster shell. The majority of the stone was unhewn; however, two fragments of worked masonry were recovered. The first stone was a squared rectangular block, 0.3m by 0.15m by 0.1m, with two smooth surfaces. The second was a small stone with a double chamfer, possibly a window mullion, measuring 0.17m by 0.1 by 0.1m.
Corporate House, Ballybrit Business Park, Ballybrit, Galway
