County: Galway Site name: Sawpit Lane, Tuam
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA029–180001 Licence number: 10E0117
Author: Finn Delaney, Eachtra Archaeological Projects – Galway, 124 Caireal Mór, Headford Road, Galway.
Site type: Burials, ditches and pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 543543m, N 751983m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.514794, -8.851237
The Tuam town water supply scheme proposes the construction of new trunk water mains, a new reservoir at Slievedarragh and a new water distribution mains system for the town of Tuam, Co. Galway. Eachtra Archaeological Projects have been appointed archaeological consultants for the project and monitoring of the excavations within the zone of archaeological potential surrounding Tuam is ongoing.
Following the discovery of human remains in a slit-trench at the junction of The Mall and Sawpit Lane outside the Temple Jarlath enclosure, six more slit-trenches were opened along Sawpit Lane following the proposed route of the water main. A ground-penetrating radar survey attempted to identify the previously recorded human remains and the surrounding undisturbed deposit. The survey could not record a signature for the human remains; however, areas of undisturbed deposits were identified.
Following consultation with Martin Reid from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Galway County Council, it was proposed to excavate a 1m-wide trench for approximately 100m in advance of the pipe-laying along Sawpit Lane and at the junction with The Mall.
Three trenches were excavated at the junction between Sawpit Lane, The Mall and Church Lane and along the full length of Sawpit Lane. Trench 1 measured 2m x 1m; it contained the remains of a single skeleton and, once this was recorded, the remains were left in situ covered by sand and marked by plastic warning tape. The trench was then backfilled and the road surface reinstated. Trench 2 ran from just west of Trench 1 parallel to the curb on the eastern side of Church Lane southward into the Mall. The trench contained the truncated remains of a large ditch and possible bank, two large pits and four skeletons, all of which were excavated. Trench 3 was the longest single trench and was excavated across the road at the top of the mall and east and north along Sawpit Lane up to the junction with High Street. The trench contained three ditches, a pit, a stone culvert, a boundary wall, a cobbled surface and eleven skeletons. The excavated trenches were backfilled with hardcore prior to the insertion of the water pipes and final reinstatement.
