2006:740 - ATHENRY, Galway

Testing took place in May 2006 on the lands of the Teagasc research farm, Athenry, on behalf of the Industrial Development Authority. Four known sites were located on the lands of the farm. Two of these, GA084–015 and GA084–016, were recorded as levelled subrectangular enclosures. A geophysical survey of the lands in advance of testing did not reveal any features that would suggest the presence of an enclosure. Subsequent testing of the sites by Colm Moriarity (see No. 747, Excavations 2006, 06E0107) did not find anything of archaeological significance.

The two remaining known sites were recorded as the site of a short cist in Newford (GA084–101) and an unclassified earthwork in Ballygarraun South (GA084–014), known locally as ‘Mount Shaw’. According to the National Museum of Ireland, the cist burials were found by workmen whilst digging a sand pit at the summit of a low hill in 1913. One cist contained a food vessel and skeletal remains; a perforated boar’s tusk likely to be a grave good was also found in one of the graves. A geophysical survey was undertaken in advance of the test excavation around these sites, which revealed one anomaly in the vicinity of the site of the cist. No features of archaeological significance were identified in the geophysical survey around the circumference of the earthwork.

The land in the vicinity of the site of the cist was mechanically tested, as was the land around the circumference of the earthwork. The earthwork was assessed on the basis of four hand-excavated trenches. The land in the vicinity of the site of the cist was assessed on the basis of three long test-trenches with several test-trenches offset at right angles. A total of nineteen test-trenches were excavated. The test-trenches revealed ten features of archaeological significance. Three of these features were shallow pits, none of which contained artefacts. The seven remaining features were regular/irregular-shaped spreads of clay, one of which produced five pieces of chert and a possible piece of burnt bone. The geophysical anomaly was not of any archaeological significance. The majority of the archaeological features were located on the gently sloping portion of the field, to the north-west of the RMP site.

Five test-trenches were mechanically excavated around the circumference of the earthwork. No features of archaeological significance were encountered during the excavation of the test-trenches. A low rectangular-shaped stone structure is located on the northern summit of the earthwork. Four test-trenches were excavated on the summit of the mound. Two test-trenches, perpendicular to each other, were excavated across the stone structure. The third test-trench was located to the west of the stone structure and the fourth was located on the gently sloping southern side of the mound. The test-trenches within the stone structure revealed a small area of collapse on both the northern and southern sides of the northern wall of the structure. A circular setting of stones probably represents the remains of a gate-like feature to restrict access to the structure. The trench contained a shallow cover of topsoil, which produced an earthen bottle plug and several pieces of animal bone. The topsoil deepened dramatically at the southern side of the stone wall. At the southern end of the trench the topsoil overlay a yellow silty clay. The perpendicular trench produced a sherd of medieval pottery as well as animal vertebrae, ribs and a shoulder. There was no evidence for a cut associated with the animal burial. The trench at the southern side of the mound consisted of a shallow cover of topsoil overlying mound material. The trench produced a small copper mount.

The test-trenching revealed several archaeological features in the vicinity of the site of the cist and the presence of archaeological material on the earthwork.