County: Galway Site name: ORANMORE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E1205
Author: Fiona Rooney, Arch Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Klin
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 538629m, N 724612m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.268300, -8.920000
Monitoring of topsoil-stripping and manual cleaning of a section face on the site of a proposed development at Oranmore, Co. Galway, was undertaken in December 2005 and completed in February 2006. The proposed development involves the construction of a 113-roomed hotel with ancillary works and basement car parking. The site’s north boundary is shared with that of a Church of Ireland graveyard, SMR 95:111.
An initial assessment of the site was undertaken by Moore Group Ltd in May 2005. This found that the topsoil from the entire site had been removed. It was recommended that the site be cleaned with a mechanical excavator to facilitate the inspection of the natural ground surface and ascertain the possible existence of archaeological features. Clearing of the area adjacent to the north boundary wall and monitoring of ground reduction throughout the site revealed one feature of possible archaeological significance. This consisted of a number of vertically set limestone slabs which ran in a north–south direction. The width varied between 0.65 and 0.85m and had a depth of at least 0.65m. The feature was filled with a dark-brown silty material at the base and to the south. The exposed area would appear to suggest that the feature was originally capped, although, except for the apparently collapsed stone to the north, there are no other capstones in situ. It is likely that the feature represents a stoned-lined drain or possibly a kiln-type feature similar to those found elsewhere in the vicinity of Oranmore village.
Ballydavid South, Athenry, Co. Galway
