County: Galway Site name: RAHEEN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA084-120 Licence number: 11E0207
Author: Anne Carey
Site type: Stone bank
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 545210m, N 707972m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.119481, -8.818505
Two phases of work were carried out in 2011 at Raheen townland, Athenry, at a site that was classified as a cashel (H.T. Knox, ‘Ballygurraun and Raheen group of works’, Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 10 (3) (1917–18), 104) or a hilltop enclosure (Archaeological Survey of Ireland files). The site, comprising a low bank of stone, is extant only from south-west to north and there is no trace of the bank beyond the boundaries of the proposed development site. Knox, visiting the site in the early 20th century, classified it as a cashel whose main kerbstones had been robbed out, leaving the core exposed. The site is extremely denuded and it is not clear whether it is of archaeological significance.
Following unauthorised topsoil-stripping to the south-east of the cashel, monitoring of topsoil reinstatement was recommended by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and this was carried out on 10 August 2011. Trial trenching at Raheen was carried out on 19 and 20 November 2011, on three areas within the site, to assess the archaeological potential of the site. The excavation of the stone bank that forms a boundary from south-west through to the north of the site was carried out to investigate the method of construction of the feature. It was seen to consist mainly of small to medium-sized stones, laid on the southern downslope of a gently rising hill, set directly onto subsoil. There were no facing stones evident along the interior, though a possible facing stone was seen in isolation in the northern, external face. The second trench was excavated along the north/south-running ridge that marks the eastern boundary of the site. This ridge was seen to be of natural compact white-grey gravel and no finds of archaeological significance were found in this trench. The third and final trench was excavated in the low-lying area towards the centre of the site; it was excavated down to bedrock, with no finds of archaeological significance emerging during these works. The results of the excavation, when taken in conjunction with the results of the monitoring of the previous archaeological involvement in the site, show that, apart from two sherds of post-medieval pottery (from the monitoring phase), no artefacts of interest were recovered from the site.
80 Portacarron, Ballymoneen Road, Galway
