2008:563 - INIS MÓR HARBOUR: Kilronan Harbour Development, Killeany, Galway

The Kilronan Harbour development was situated on Inis Mór, Co. Galway, the largest of the Aran Islands. Kilronan Harbour is the principal harbour and entry point of the three islands and the location of the island’s lifeboat. The development involved the redevelopment and extension of the harbour at Kilronan, dredging of the harbour basin and ferry berths and the construction of a 500m breakwater. Monitoring of the harbour dredging works, on behalf of Galway County Council, was carried out between August and December 2008. A metal-detecting survey of the material dredged and deposited on the foreshore was also carried out between August and September 2008.

No sites or features of major archaeological significance came to light during the course of the monitoring scheme. In total seven objects of archaeological significance, mainly anchors, were recovered during the course of the dredging works. All of these objects were of 18th–20th-century in date and were deemed to be isolated finds that did not represent a site, a wreck or any other find of archaeological significance.