County: Galway Site name: FARRANABLAKE EAST
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA096–089 Licence number: A024/4, E2352
Author: Tom Janes, Headland Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Ringfort - cashel
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 550241m, N 725942m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.281469, -8.746146
Full archaeological resolution was conducted on this site between January and March 2006. Excavation of the enclosure wall identified a single phase of drystone construction consisting of limestone blocks of varying sizes. It survived, in places, to three courses, with a maximum height of 1.8m; it was an average of 2m wide and was c. 60m long within the CPO. The wall was built on the natural ground surface. No foundation cut for the wall or associated ditch was evident and no entrance was identified within the study area. No datable material was found from within the rubble core fill, or from underneath the wall.
A spread of limestone rubble and large stones was identified along the entire length of the interior of the enclosure wall. This spread extended inwards for c. 2m. It was interpreted as being the collapsed inner face of the enclosure wall. It was sealed by a sandy silt deposit, which was noted across the entire interior of the enclosure. Animal bone, post-medieval pottery, ferrous objects and modern glass fragments were recovered from this context.
A notable feature inside the enclosure was a central curvilinear stone embankment measuring 17.5m north–south by 2–3m. It ran an additional 5m south of the CPO line outside the area of investigation. This embankment was constructed from medium to large unfaced limestone boulders and abutted the interior of the enclosure wall. An articulated sheep skeleton was found sealed beneath the embankment. The stones were laid directly on the original ground surface, with no evidence of a construction cut. A fragment of a quernstone was recovered from the embankment. Specialist analysis will be required in order to suggest a date for this artefact.
Two large pits were excavated outside the enclosure. The first, to the west of the enclosure, revealed a simple build-up of silts within a semicircular cut. This is likely to be the result of modern agricultural activity and natural soil-chemical processes, with discolorations and layers in the soil being due to leaching and root action. The second pit, immediately to the north of the enclosure, was subcircular in shape and three distinct cuts with six total fills were noted. Post-medieval pottery, ferrous metal and animal bone were recovered from the uppermost fill of the most recent cut.
An irregularly shaped feature located c. 20m north-west of the enclosure was excavated and is likely to be a furrow. One piece of post-medieval pottery was recovered.
The lack of diagnostic finds from any sealed context makes dating of the enclosure difficult. The only sealed find, the articulated sheep skeleton, is from a stratigraphic context occurring later than the main enclosure wall itself. A date from the skeleton would only provide a terminus post quem for the interior embankment, therefore a date recovered from this deposit will be unsatisfactory for dating the enclosure.
All pottery recovered has been provisionally dated to the post-medieval period and has come from contexts stratigraphically later than the collapse of the enclosure wall.
The work was made possible thanks to funding from Galway County Council and the National Roads Authority.
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