County: Mayo Site name: Market Street, Killala
Sites and Monuments Record No.: MA022–017 Licence number: 07E1047
Author: Richard Crumlish, 4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 520308m, N 830067m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.213307, -9.221759
Pre-development testing was carried out on 20 November 2007 at a site at Market Street, Killala, Co. Mayo. The site was located within the constraint for the ecclesiastical remains in Killala. The proposed development consisted of alterations and additions to an existing building, The Tower Bar, located c. 50m west of Killala’s round tower.
Testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of two trenches in the yard to the rear of the public house. The trenches measured 12m and 8m long, 0.85–1.15m wide and 1.2–2.2m deep. Below the concrete was a red and yellow brick surface and loose fill, above peat, above blue/grey plastic clay. A poorly constructed mortared rubble wall was uncovered in one of the trenches. The fill contained modern pottery sherds, modern glass fragments, timber, mortar, red and yellow brick fragments and cockle shells.
All features and deposits uncovered were of 19th- and 20th-century date. This site appeared to have originally been a marshy peat bog area, which was filled up over a number of years.
