County: Galway Site name: 15 Merchants Road Lower, Galway
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA094–100 Licence number: 08E0752
Author: Richard Crumlish, 4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 529756m, N 724924m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.269998, -9.053046
Pre-development testing was carried out on 23 and 24 September 2008 at a site at No. 15 Lower Merchants Road, Galway. The proposed development site was located within the zone of archaeological significance for Galway city (GA094–100). The location was just outside the medieval town wall, in an area reclaimed from Galway Bay during the post-medieval period. The proposed development consisted of the demolition of a house (dating to the 19th century) and the construction of a building comprising three cinemas, a café/bar area, a bookshop/display/archive area, ancillary office and storage space.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of three trenches located to best cover the area of the proposed development, which was accessible. The trenches measured 3.8–3.9m, 5.7–5.9m and 6m long respectively, 1.2–1.6m wide and 1.4–1.6m deep. Testing revealed evidence of modern activity associated with the 19th-century dwelling on the site; i.e. concrete over cobbles, a red-brick surface, a rubble wall foundation, a stone flag surface and rubble fill. Nothing of archaeological significance was revealed. As no natural undisturbed layers were reached during the test excavation and as the proposed groundworks would exceed 4m in depth, it was recommended that an archaeologist monitor all groundworks associated with the proposed development.
