County: Galway Site name: KILLESCRAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A024/3.30
Author: Sheelagh Conran, CRDS Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 562573m, N 724946m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.273524, -8.561112
Archaeological investigations were carried out at Killescragh on the route of the proposed N6 Galway–Ballinasloe road scheme, Contract 3. The work was commissioned by the Galway County Council National Roads Design Office and sponsored by the National Roads Authority.
An area of 14,950m2 was stripped using a tracked mechanical excavator. There are two known monuments in the townland: an ecclesiastical site, SMR 97:110, within which lies a children’s burial ground. Neither will be impacted upon by the proposed road. Another burnt mound was found at Killescragh A024/3.29 (see No. 616, Excavations 2005), which lies 720m to the east.
The site is located at the base of a break of slope with an esker ridge to its immediate north; there is also a large working quarry to the east. The surrounding land is predominately boggy marshland. Prior to soil-stripping, rushes and wild vegetation covered the site.
During the course of the testing a burnt mound, and possible pit, provisionally dated to the prehistoric period, were revealed and stripped to their full extents. The burnt mound is irregular in plan. It measures 15.5m in length, 8.5m in width and 0.24m in depth. The primary mound deposit was charcoal-rich and peaty in consistency with a moderate concentration of burnt and heat-shattered angular stone.
The pit is subcircular in plan and lies at the south-eastern edge of the burnt mound. It measures 0.7m by 0.6m and is no deeper than 0.25m. The single fill is charcoal-rich and peaty, containing c. 10% burnt stone. Soil samples and material from both features were taken and will be sent for analysis and 14C dating if suitable.
There were no artefacts recovered during the testing of the site.
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