County: Galway Site name: Pollawarla/Ballynakilla/Culliagh North
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 11E0267
Author: Martin Jones
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 549252m, N 742280m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.428185, -8.763605
Galway County Council proposes to realign approximately 1km of the existing N63 road between Claregalway/Turloughmore and Abbeyknockmoy, Co. Galway.
Testing was undertaken for Galway County Council at the site of the proposed road realignment in the townlands of Pollawarla, Ballynakilla and Culliagh North between 1.4km and 2.4km south-west of Abbeyknockmoy. Seven Recorded Monuments (two ringforts [one conjoined], three enclosures and two unclassified earthworks [one with an associated Children’s Burial Ground]) lie within 1km of the proposed works. The constraint area of one of these monuments (an unclassified earthwork with associated Children’s Burial Ground [GA058-0027]) is impacted by the proposed alignment but there is no proposed impact on any upstanding elements of the monument. No previously unknown archaeological features of possible archaeological significance were noted in the vicinity of the proposed scheme in advance of fieldwork.
Proposed realignment works are largely online with minimal impact on previously undisturbed greenfield areas. That being the case, testing consisted of targeted test excavations by hand taking the form of six trenches (though Test Trench 1 was excavated in two parts due to the presence of a surface/hard-standing of large-grade imported stone). Test Trench 1a measured 3.5m (north-east/south-west) by 1m; Test Trench 1b measured 1.5m (north-west/south-east) by 1m; Test Trenches 2-6 measured 10m (west-south-west/east-north-east) by 1m. No features or finds of archaeological significance were noted during the course of excavations along the scheme. Two human teeth (one broken molar and one complete incisor) were noted in very disturbed topsoil deposits in Trench 1b though no archaeological features, other finds or deposits were noted in association with these. Ground was heavily disturbed in the vicinity of the monument generally during construction of the stone surface/hard-standing and it is also immediately adjacent to the main access for a number of grazing fields.
Galway County Council, National Roads Project Office, Corporate House, Ballybrit Business Park, Ballybrit, Galway
