2003:2210 - GALWAY: Merchants' Road, Queen Street and Market Bonham Street, Galway

Monitoring of a proposed development, which involved the demolition of the modern section of McDonagh’s hardware building at the corner of Market Bonham Street as well as of the warehousing to the rear, was carried out between November 2002 and January 2003. This will facilitate the construction of an apartment building with basement parking facilities behind the protected structure of McDonagh’s hardware shop. Trial-trenching carried out at the site in August 2002 revealed some features of archaeological interest, including a rough metalled surface, a more refined cobbled surface and a slabconstructed feature, possibly a culvert (Excavations 2002, No. 735).

Monitoring of overburden removal in the area of these features was carried out and the features recorded. They were found to be of probable 19th-century date, consistent with the construction of the warehouse in the mid-19th century, when the New Docks were developed. The area of archaeological interest occupied roughly the north-eastern half of the ground floor of the proposed development. The south-western part of the ground floor had been disturbed by modern building activity, the area being occupied by basement and services. The removal of these features was monitored and nothing further of archaeological significance was recorded.

Glenbonniv, Feakle, Co. Clare