2005:595 - EYRECOURT: The Mall (Townparks), Galway

Pre-development testing was carried out on the site of a proposed new dwelling house at The Mall, Eyrecourt, Co. Galway, on 31 March 2005. The proposed development site is located in the south-east part of the zone of archaeological potential around the historic town of Eyrecourt and lies just 50m west of a ruined 17th-century church and its adjoining graveyard (SMR 108:89). The church and graveyard straddle the entrance gates to Eyrecourt Castle at the east end of the village. The new dwelling is to be constructed within an enclosed area at the north-west end of a long, rectangular greenfield site. There are two small stone sheds along the north-east boundary of the enclosure and a third, larger, shed at the south end. The high enclosing walls, and particularly the front wall, preserve traces of buildings that formerly occupied this site. The ground level immediately behind the front wall is raised significantly, presumably as a result of previous demolition and site-levelling works.

Two trenches were opened on the footprint of the proposed dwelling. The excavation revealed a modern topsoil layer, 0.2m in thickness, overlying a layer of rubble and redeposited soil varying from 0.45 to 0.6m in thickness. This redeposited material directly overlay the natural. The fragmentary remains of rubble wall foundations were uncovered in both trenches. These are probably associated with the cluster of buildings marked on the first-edition OS map and most are likely to date from the late 18th or early 19th century.

Unit 3, Howley Court, Oranmore, Co. Galway