County: Galway Site name: Newcastle Road Lower, Galway
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 10E0369
Author: Richard Crumlish
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 529209m, N 726008m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.279664, -9.061499
Monitoring of groundworks at an extension to the James Hardiman Library within the NUIG Campus, off Lower Newcastle Road in Galway City, was carried out between 7 September and 4 November 2010 (Excavations 2010, No. 340) and between 9 February and 13 July 2012 (the break in the work coincided with the liquidation of the original construction company and the appointment of a new company to complete the works). Although pre-development testing was a condition of planning permission, due to the disturbed nature of the proposed development site and in particular the concentration of services there, monitoring of groundworks was accepted as a more practical option by Galway City Council and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The nearest recorded monument (DG094-089), an unclassified earthwork (now a redundant record), was no longer extant and its exact location was not known.
The main area of the new building (which was located immediately west of the existing Library) measured 74m long (north-north-west/south-south-east), 23m wide and was reduced by 2.5-4m. An area excavated for an attenuation tank at the southern end of the main area measured 14m long (east-north-east/west-south-west), 4.5-6.5m wide and was reduced by up to 3.5m. Two trenches were also excavated to house a foul sewer (150mm diameter) and a storm-water pipe (225mm diameter). They measured 1.7-5.8m wide and 2.1-2.9m deep. The numerous services uncovered within the development site area included ESB, gas, water, surface/storm water, street lighting and telecom. Some of the services were situated as low as 1.5m below the surface and included concrete chambers/man-holes.
The monitoring of groundworks at the development site revealed extensive modern disturbance above the original topsoil, natural subsoils and bedrock. The disturbance was the result of the construction of the adjacent buildings (James Hardiman Library and a Nursing Library) during the last 40 years or so and the numerous sub-surface services located within the development area. None of the modern artefacts uncovered were retained. Nothing of archaeological significance was revealed.
4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo
