County: Galway Site name: BARNADERG/GORTBEG
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 08E0719
Author: Tamlyn O’Driscoll, Moore Archaeological & Environmental Services Ltd, Corporate House, Ballybrit, Galway.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 551508m, N 747259m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.473138, -8.730421
Testing was carried out in the townland of Carrowmanagh, Co. Galway, in September 2008. The work was undertaken for Ryan Hanley Consulting Engineers on behalf of the client Galway County Council, in advance of pre-development works for Barnaderg/Gortbeg group water scheme Bundle 2, Contract 4.5, Galway group water scheme. The proposed development involved the laying of a pipeline in existing roadway in the townland of Carrowmanagh adjacent to GA044–029, classified as a church and graveyard.
Testing commenced on 12 September 2008 adjacent to GA044–029. Test-trenching was carried out by a mechanical excavator using a toothless grading bucket. Three test-trenches, which each measured 10m north–south, 0.65m wide and of varying depths, were excavated at 8m intervals to the east of the site along the route of the proposed pipeline for the entire length of passage via the church and graveyard. Each trench was excavated to the underlying natural substrate; no materials of archaeological significance including finds or features were identified throughout the course of the testing.
It was recommended that future groundworks during the course of the Barnaderg/Gortbeg GWS in the vicinity of all monuments and protected structures should be subject to monitoring. Monitoring took place at intervals during February, August and September 2009. The pipeline was routed along existing roads as well as through two greenfield sections in various townlands in the Barnaderg/ Gortbeg area.
Monitoring was conducted in existing roadway in the vicinity of aerial anomaly PAS 2, a roughly circular cropmark in Carrowmanagh townland, and also in the vicinity of GA044–078/078–001, a church and graveyard in Lisavally townland. Further monitoring was conducted in a greenfield section in Knock townland adjacent to GA044–071/071–001, a ringfort and children’s burial-ground. The remainder of the scheme was routed through greenfield sections in the townlands of Dangan Oughter and Dangan Beg. A construction wayleave measuring 8–10m wide was stripped of topsoil along the length of the pipeline development; topsoil depths varied between 0.1m and 0.4m.
Monitoring did not reveal any features of archaeological significance throughout the course of groundworks. One stray archaeological find was discovered in the townland of Dangan Oughter in Field No. 10. This was an opaque off-white flint debitage flake which was discovered just below the topsoil in a natural gravel layer. Extensive
investigation of the area did not reveal further archaeological material.
