County: Galway Site name: Newtownsmith
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA094–100 Licence number: 07E0890
Author: Martin Fitzpatrick, Arch Consultancy Ltd, Ballydavid South, Athenry, Co. Galway.
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 529643m, N 725460m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.274806, -9.054861
Pre-development testing was undertaken at the site of a carpark located at Newtownsmith, Galway. Earlier assessment of the site recommended testing in advance of any proposed development. Testing was carried out over a period of three days in February 2008. Prior to testing nothing of archaeological significance was visible aboveground and the area had a concrete and tarred surface.
Four test-trenches were excavated through the property. Two trenches excavated in the east half of the site and to the south-west of an existing dwelling house revealed a wall feature and a number of cut-stone fragments. In the west half of the site a number of features of archaeological significance were uncovered. The features consisted of cobbled surfaces and numerous walls, which indicated previous buildings and activity on the site. In addition to these features a small building with a corbelled roof was uncovered in the centre of Trench B. The feature appeared to be constructed of brick and had a single rectangular entrance hole in the roof. The interior of this feature is filled with rubble. A total of eight walls were uncovered in the course of testing at the site. The majority of the walls appeared to be the remnants of 18th–19th-century buildings. However, Wall 4, located in the south half of trench C, comprised a later wall built on top of an earlier one. The earlier one cut into the humic layer and extended for a width of 1.4m, suggesting a possible early date for this feature. The cobbles uncovered on-site are likely to be the remains of 18th- or 19th-century yards and outhouses.
Apart from the numerous cut stones recovered from the trenches, the finds from the testing consisted of 19th-century glass, pottery and clay-pipe fragments. One fragment of 17th-century pottery was recovered from the southern half of Trench C and may be a dating indicator of Wall 4, uncovered in this area.
The testing at Newtownsmith located significant archaeological remains on the site and it was recommended that, if any development were proposed at this site, all of the area should be excavated.
