2010:348 - Kilskeagh 4, Galway

Excavation was carried out at Kilskeagh 4, Co. Galway, in advance of the M17 Galway (Rathmorrissy) to Tuam Archaeological Services Contract (2010) forming part of the N17/N18 Gort to Tuam PPP scheme in County Galway. The Archaeological Services Contract (2010) was commissioned by Galway County Council and funded by the National Roads Authority. Full excavation was undertaken at the site in June 2010.
Kilskeagh 4 was characterised by three stone-built structures, a rectangular enclosure and rubble spreads, which suggested three distinct phases of activity at the site.
The first phase of activity consisted of the construction of three rectangular structures (Structures 1–3), which were situated within a rectangular drystone-walled enclosure. The subsoil within the area where the structures and enclosure were situated was excavated down to the underlying bedrock, most probably as a secure footing for the foundation walls of the three structures.
Structure 1 was orientated north-west/south-east. The foundation walls were built directly on the underlying bedrock and remnants of the natural subsoil. The outer wall of the structure was built with both outer and inner facing stones and had a core made up of mortar, cobbles and small irregular-shaped stones. There were two opposing doorways in the north-east and south-west walls. The interior floor and walls of the structure were surfaced with a layer of limestone mortar with occasional flagstones near the base of the walls. A metalled surface lay within the area between the two doorways and both flagstones and the natural underlying bedrock were utilised as a surface within both of the doorways.
Structure 2 was orientated north-east/south-west. The foundation walls were built directly over the underlying bedrock and remnants of the natural subsoil. The outer wall of the structure was built with both outer and inner facing stones and had a core made up of mortar, cobbles and small irregular-shaped stones. The interior floor of the structure consisted of the underlying bedrock. No doorway was identified, though the south-western wall of the structure may have been a later addition or was heavily repaired and there may have been some form of access on to the structure along this wall face. The south-western wall also lay parallel to the north-east/south-west-running cobbled road and may have been intended for storing agricultural equipment and this may have necessitated direct access to the road.
Only part of Structure 3 was located within the excavation area, although low earthworks in the adjacent field indicated the shape and size of the structure. The structure was orientated north-east/south-west. Both the floor and the walls were covered with a layer of limestone mortar. There was also a possible entrance identified within the south-eastern wall.
The enclosure walls together with the three structures formed a rectangular court or farmyard, although all three structures projected outside the enclosure. The walls were of drystone construction, though with much of it in a poor state of repair or completely robbed out or demolished. There would probably have been one distinct area within the enclosure surrounded by the buildings and enclosure walls. The south-western end of the enclosure extended up to a narrow north-west/south-east running cobbled road. On the edge of the road there was a kerb of large stones, which may have been the remains of the south-western wall of the enclosure.
Phase II is characterised by the initial demolition layer covering each of the structures and the enclosure walls. The layers consisted of a mix of building debris, such as faced stone and mortar, among which were a number of artefacts, such as ceramics, glass, metal, etc.
Phase III is characterised by the deposition of a final layer of rubble which was mostly 20th–21st-century field clearance and rubbish dumping. This layer covered the whole site.