2007:585 - Site 196, Ballyboy, Galway

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Galway Site name: Site 196, Ballyboy

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E0462

Author: Ed Lyne, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Site type: Linear earthwork

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 542579m, N 697124m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.021723, -8.855869

Investigations took place along the route of the proposed N18 Gort to Crusheen road scheme. Site 196 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 rectilinear enclosure located to the west (Site 195; see No. 584 above) 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 linear earthwork was an earth-constructed bank, 3.2m in width, 1m in height and at least 140m in length. This ran parallel to the field boundary wall, which was in turn parallel to the L4513 Shanaglish road. Adjacent to the bank, on the north side (the field interior), was a parallel linear ditch, 1.5m in width and 0.65m in depth. No diagnostic material was retrieved from either of the two features. This site and Site 196 have both been interpreted as being part of the Rosehill House landscape.