2007:637 - Kilcloghans, Galway

Test-trenching undertaken in advance of the construction of a bypass around the town of Tuam revealed the route of the proposed bypass to be archaeologically poor, with the exception of the enclosure at Kilcloghans. For the most part, features and evidence of human activity identified during the programme of testing proved to be post-medieval or modern.
The site at Kilcloghans consisted of part of a large circular enclosure (part of which was identified through a geophysical survey conducted outside the proposed road-take). The ditch was V-shaped in profile and contained a number of fills, which were relatively uniform throughout the length of the excavated area. The fills contained a large amount of stone and animal bone. The width of the ditch measured 2.06–3.58m, with the average depth measuring c. 1.3m. The overall diameter of the enclosure ditch was c. 34m. There were also the discontinuous traces of a possible palisade trench on the interior of the ditch.
A stone-lined souterrain was identified within the southern part of the enclosure. This souterrain consisted of a series of three narrow passageways that connected two small chambers. One passageway led from just above the interior edge of the enclosure ditch in the western part of the site into a deep subcircular chamber to the east. A narrow passageway led off this chamber towards the east, where it joined a smaller circular chamber. The last passageway changed direction, exiting from the chamber to the south-east, where it passed outside the road-take. The passageway at this point had begun to rise, possibly to an exit. The geophysics undertaken outside the road-take had shown areas of possible burning, which may have indicated that the souterrain exited into a possible dwelling. The overall east–west length of the souterrain was 15.4m and the overall north–south length was 4.18m, with an average depth of c. 1.4m. The width of the souterrain was between 1.33m and 2.62m. The souterrain contained a large number of fills. Many of the main fills were similar to the enclosures, in that they contained large amounts of stone and animal bone, but in places the fills were more disorderly and contained numerous metal artefacts. It is unclear if these fills are the result of deliberate backfilling or if they had built up over a longer period.
Three small features were identified within the enclosure. All appear to have been rubbish pits, as they were filled with significant amounts of animal bone and charcoal. One feature, a dog burial, was located outside the enclosure.
Numerous varying artefacts were recovered from the site. A few were recovered from fills within the enclosure ditch, but most of the finds were recovered from the fills within the souterrain. Within the souterrain, most of the artefacts came from the smaller chamber and north–south-running passage.
The artefacts and the morphology of the site would strongly suggest an early medieval date for the enclosure and the souterrain, although souterrains are generally later. Dating evidence recovered from the various fills within these features will enable a properly dated sequence for the site and show whether or not the ringfort and souterrain are contemporary.