County: Galway Site name: MACKNEY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA087-179 Licence number: 04E0865
Author: Martin Jones, National Roads Design Office
Site type: Castle - unclassified
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 582705m, N 729136m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.312217, -8.259520
Three trenches were opened by hand adjacent to the site of a castle and possible earthwork in Mackney townland on the proposed N6 Galway–Ballinasloe road scheme. The proposed roadway will impact on the southern half of the constraint area of the site.
Trenches 1 and 2 were positioned to investigate the area within the road corridor adjacent to the castle site and Trench 3 was positioned to investigate the area within the road corridor adjacent to the possible earthwork. Trenches 1 and 3 were also positioned to investigate several narrow linear features which were noted during geophysical survey of the area. Trench 1 measured 20m in length and 1m in width, Trenches 2 and 3 each measured 10m in length and 1m in width.
A very simple basic stratigraphy was noted during excavations. In Trenches 1 and 2, sod overlay mid- to dark-brown silty clay and yellow-greymottled glacial till. In Trench 3, sod overlay a thin deposit of dark-brown silty clay, light- to mid-brown silty clay/gravel and grey sandy glacial till.
A number of features were noted during excavations, all cut into the glacial till in Trenches 1 and 3. No cut features were noted during excavations in Trench 2.
In Trench 1, a number of small, modern cut features were noted, as well as a wide linear cut probably representing a continuation of a (possibly early) field drain that is visible in lands to the east and continuing into the possible earthwork to the west. This drain had near-vertical sides leading to a flat base and measured some 2.9m in length and a maximum of 0.34m in depth. This feature and its fill were cut by two small, later (probably roughly contemporary), features.
A possible modern drainage channel (running in a north-south direction) was also noted. Vertical or near-vertical sides lead to a flat base and three fills were noted. Date and function were not ascertained.
In Trench 3 the only features noted were two narrow, parallel, linear cuts. These ran in a north-south direction and had (generally) steeply inclined sides leading to a slightly rounded base.
The westernmost feature was cut through the silty clay/gravel and into till. This feature was itself cut by a smaller, shallow, round-bottomed cut. The easternmost feature was cut directly into the glacial till and underlay the silty clay/gravel. No diagnostic material was found in the fills of any of the cut features.
Galway County Council
