County: Galway Site name: PROSPECT, ATHENRY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA084-001 Licence number: 11E0301
Author: Martin Fitzpatrick
Site type: Urban, town wall
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 549552m, N 727431m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.294772, -8.756725
The monitoring of a domestic water connection was undertaken over a period of two days in August 2011. The trench for the pipeline crossed the site of the medieval wall where a gateway gave access to the property. Removal of topsoil (0.2m deep) on either side of the basal plinth indicated that the entranceway was constructed directly on top of the original town wall. Stones from the wall extended 0.25m south of the gateway lintel and 0.3m north of the lintel, indicating that the wall was 0.85m in width. It appears that the original wall was levelled off and the existing pedestrian entranceway constructed on top of it. It proved possible to place the water pipe immediately below the existing plinth of the pedestrian entranceway and above the stones, thereby avoiding disturbance to the original wall feature. A 0.5m-wide trench on either side of the town wall was excavated to a depth of 0.4–0.75m. While this trench is in the area of the original moat, it was found to consist of fill material, with no artefacts or features of archaeological significance encountered.
Arch Consultancy Ltd, New Line, Athenry, Co. Galway
