2008:874 - High Street, Ballinrobe, Mayo

Pre-development testing was carried out on 31 July and 1 August 2008 at a site at High Street, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. The site was located within the constraint for Ballinrobe town (MA118–022). There were no archaeological features visible within the site, which contained a large timber shed (13.6m by 5.4m) on a concrete base along the western site boundary, a turf shed (5.6m by 4.6m) along the southern site boundary and a stoned yard. The timber shed was removed prior to the testing. The proposed development consisted of the construction of a dwelling house together with all other necessary siteworks.
The site was located on the north-western outskirts of Ballinrobe town, at the northern end of a terrace of houses on the east side of High Street. A stone plaque dated the construction of one of the dwellings along the terrace to 1782. The site appeared to have been the rear entrance to Kenny’s, the local landlord’s residence located a short distance south-east of the site.
The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of four trenches which measured 13.2m, 4.8m, 14.25m and 14.4m long respectively, 0.95–1.4m wide and 0.2–1.1m deep. Below the concrete and gravel on the surface was hardcore, above fill, above orange/brown plastic clay. The fill contained red-brick fragments, a small number of animal-bone fragments and modern pottery sherds. A rubble wall foundation, which measured 0.6m wide and 0.4m deep, was visible in one of the trenches. A burnt deposit which contained frequent iron slag (36 pieces in total), occasional charcoal and small rocks was found in another trench. It measured 2m long, up to 0.85m wide and up to 0.65m deep. The deposit was found below the fill and above the clay.
The remaining stratigraphy uncovered was associated with the concrete base for the timber shed and the surrounding stoned yard, above modern fill, above natural subsoil. The rubble foundation was visible on the internal face of the existing western site boundary and appeared to be the remains of one of two east–west-orientated walls shown on the first-edition OS map of 1838.
Unfortunately the burnt deposit did not contain easily datable artefacts; however, there were a number of industries dating to the mid-18th/19th/early 20th centuries located in this area of Ballinrobe, namely a mill and a brewery located on the south bank of the River Robe, a short distance away to the east. Another possible source of the deposit could have been a forge which was located on the western side of High Street, within 50m of the proposed development site. A more likely source of the deposit, however, was the site’s location in what was previously part of a yard associated with Robe Villa, the local landlord’s (Kenny’s) dwelling, which was built in the mid-18th century. The Kennys, like most landowners of that time, had a coach-house and stables, which were located nearby and would have required the services of a blacksmith. Therefore the likely date for the deposit was mid-18th to early 20th century.