County: Galway Site name: Site 195, Ballyboy
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E0461
Author: Ed Lyne, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 542477m, N 697180m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.022215, -8.857399
Investigations took place along the route of the proposed N18 Gort to Crusheen road scheme. Site 195 is located within the former and long-removed grounds surrounding Rosehill House. The house and grounds are illustrated on the first-edition OS map for Galway (1838). This site and a linear earthwork located to the east (Site 196; see No. 585 below) appear to form part of the designed landscape associated with the grounds of Rosehill House, although it is possible that they are earlier elements that were incorporated into it.
The excavation of trenches in this area revealed two distinct features within the confines of the enclosure; firstly the linear earthwork located to the east (Site 196) continued straight along the line of the field boundary to and along the edge of this site. This linear embankment was formed through the deposition of bank material, with an associated drainage ditch immediately to the north (on the interior of the field). Secondly, and associated with the linear embankment, was a series of spade-cut cultivation ridges; these were evident within the enclosure but not in the surrounding landscape, and those in proximity to the bank ran parallel with it. These were visible on the surface as shallow furrows either side of low ridges of material. This site and Site 196 have been interpreted as both being part of the Rosehill House landscape.
