County: Galway Site name: TOWNPARKS, TUAM
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA029-199 Licence number: 11E0005
Author: Finn Delaney
Site type: Mill
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 542849m, N 751505m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.510425, -8.861610
Excavation and monitoring were undertaken on behalf of Galway County Council within the construction footprint of a proposed new road development linking Shop Street to Bishop’s Street in Tuam, Co. Galway.
Excavation was undertaken in August 2011 at the western end of the new road in order to record the subsurface remains of the protected structure known as Garvey’s Mills (RPS 31). Subsurface remains of an industrial mill building were uncovered. An early mill building and mill-race were later subsumed into a larger complex. At a later date a yard was created by extending two culverts below the main mill building and by adding a culvert to the tail-race of the later mill.
Monitoring of groundworks for the entire road scheme and associated site works was carried out from late July to early November 2011. The groundworks involved the removal of topsoil within the area of the road scheme (to formation level) and the excavation of associated service trenches and site works. The topsoil was removed in all cases to formation level of the road, which was cut into the subsoil. The excavation of the service trenches also cut the subsoil. The enabling works to place the culverts at the eastern and western ends of the route required excavation below bedrock level.
Eachtra Archaeological Projects—Galway, 124 Caireal Mór, Headford Road, Galway
