County: Galway Site name: Kilskeagh 6
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004091
Author: Nial O’Neill, Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Co. Cork.
Site type: Post-medieval trackways and settlement debris
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 547312m, N 735876m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.370453, -8.791718
Excavation was carried out at Kilskeagh 6, 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 and July 2010.
Five contemporary features were excavated here. These include two cobbled trackways, two metalled surfaces, one with a small portion of possible trackway, and a collapsed structure or building.
The first trackway was located near the eastern limit of the site and was orientated north-east/south-west. The extant portion measured approximately 14m in length and extended from the southern limit of the site. This trackway consisted of rounded stones and measured 4.1m in width. It had a central line of larger subrectangular stone, which appeared to represent a trackway construction method. Two deposits comprising of loosely compact dark black silty clay and loosely compact light-brown clay were situated above this.
The second trackway was located approximately 16m to the east and was orientated north-west/south-east. This trackway was observed running for 30.4m from the southern limit of the site, stopping short of the northern limit, and was 5.6m in maximum width. Two bedding deposits were recorded. Above these was the cobbled surface. This consisted of sub-rounded and sub-angular stone of similar size (0.06–0.1m in diameter) measuring 3.8m in width. Again a central line of larger stone was recorded and involved two upright stones.
A metalled surface was located 20m east of the second trackway and measured 20m north–south by 16m. This consisted of poorly sorted small sub-angular stone. At its north-western corner, a small portion of possible trackway was recorded. This was orientated north-west/south-east, measured 6.2m in length and 2.25m in width and consisted of a bedding material under a layer of sub-angular small stones.
A second metalled surface appeared to splay out at the north-west end of the second trackway in an irregular fashion. This consisted of poorly sorted sub-angular stone and measured 8m north-west/south-east by 5m and 0.05m in depth.
The structure or building
The remains of a probable small structure, or building, were recorded near the south-eastern limit of the site. This was located 17m east of one of the metalled surfaces and was rectangular in plan. It measured 6.3m east–west and 4m in width. Here, a foundation trench containing four fills was recorded, including foundation stones of the structure. The interior of the structure contained a deposit made up by 90% medium-sized stones and appeared to represent the collapsed stone of the walls. No bonding material was noted. Sealing this was a deposit of silty clay.
