County: Galway Site name: Caheradangan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07D063; 07R253
Author: Eoghan Kieran, Moore Marine Services, Corporate House, Ballybrit Business Park, Galway.
Site type: Underwater
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 552161m, N 720230m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.230308, -8.716505
An underwater assessment was carried out at the site of a proposed pipeline crossing of the Craughwell River in the townland of Caheradangan, Craughwell, Co. Galway. The work was undertaken in February 2008 on behalf of Bord Gáis Networks. Prior to the redirection of the Craughwell River in the latter half of the 19th century, the area had been a greenfield site which was liable to flooding.
At the time of the survey, the crossing-point on the river was bounded on both sides by steep banks overgrown with coarse grass vegetation and lined with deciduous trees. The riverbed was relatively flat, with a soft clay base that had occasional overlying stones (small and medium), detritus and tree branches.
The metal-detection survey of the crossing area recorded the presence of a number of modern metals; these included a horseshoe, fragments of barbed wire and miscellaneous nondescript metal fragments. None were of archaeological significance.
The survey of this crossing-point did not record the presence of any materials or features which could be indicative of the presence of archaeological deposits on or around the crossing site. Based on the results of the assessment, it appeared that this area has been severely compromised; as a result, the likelihood of impacting on previously unrecorded archaeological material, features or deposits in this area was low.
