2013:144 - SLIGO, Sligo

Enhancement works in streets in the centre of Sligo town were monitored in phases from 2011 to 2013, under licences 11E0262? and 13E300. At Bridge Street (Rathquarter, 169326 336074), ground openings were monitored for adjustment of traffic control features and water gullies at the very busy junction of Lake Isle Road, Bridge Street, The Mall and Stephen Street in the centre of the town. All four openings were into road make-up in which there were existing ducts in places. In the deeper openings for the new gullies the underlying natural glacial deposits were cut into for less than 0.2m, reaching a maximum depth of about 0.8m. Except for one tiny fragment of an oyster shell there were no finds. The oyster fragment was from a very thin layer of brown soil between the road make-up and the glacial material—the name of the county and town comes from the long-term consumption of shellfish, mainly oyster (see Ó Muraíle 2013). It does not have a context and so it could date to anytime from 5,000 BC to the very recent past.

Old Pound Street (169357 335155) is a steep slip-road linking Mail Coach Road to (Old) Circular Road, all in the townland of Knocknaganny. It was part of a main road from Pound Street, now Connolly Street, at the southern end of Sligo town leads out into the countryside. On its west side the OS maps show ‘Tober na Seilmide’ (SL014-126). Traditionally this was one of the wells where clean water was available to the citizens of Sligo, the Garvoge being contaminated with seepage from the overcrowded Sligo Abbey graveyard and a cause of the severity of the 1832 cholera in the town.

Though within the Borough Boundary of Sligo the well is outside of the constraint area of Sligo Town, SL014-065. The location of the well had, for some unknown reason, been transferred in error several properties to the west.

The works here in Nov. 2013 were for the establishment of a footpath on the west side of Old Pound Street, after which the street became one-way, southwards. The water from the supposed well, in the garden and 0.8m above the level of the road, has for many years being seeping through the roadside wall and running down the street and that needed to be resolved. All works were outside the roadside wall.

There is a tale concerning the well in the Ordnance Survey Letters. Thomas O’Conor (OSL 211) wrote in 1836 “There is a well in the Town of Sligo called Tobar na Selmide, Snail’s Well, which, prophetic tradition says, will in time to come overwhelm by its waters the whole town. The reason why it is called Tobar na Selmide is, a snail is seen coming out of the well every seventh year, which is thought to be an enchanted and metamorphosed being, possessing the power of affecting in some time future an overflowing well, which will have the narrated effect.”

Several trees now conceal the western road edge and the supposed well. Under the trees there is a hole in the ground with water flowing through it. A stone culvert comes downhill northwards into the well, something that seemed unlikely for any well, particularly a well supplying water to the town.

The OS maps were re-examined; by overlaying the 1837 and 1910 OS maps it became clear that ‘the well had moved’. On the earlier map the well is shown south of where it is shown on the later map. The hole in the ground is not a well, and it is not Tobar na Selmide. Later the RMP point was moved to a spot 100m to the west to where there was a map mark. This position has recently been corrected to where it is on the 1837 OS 6” map. Most likely this present location is nothing more that where the roof of the culvert had collapsed and a hole had been expanded after tree roots blocked the flow in the culvert.

The trenching for the kerbing for the new footpath did not go deeper than the existing road build-up and the footpath itself was laid at this level. Three gullies were dug to capture the water oozing through the wall.

There were no archaeological discoveries, other than that the well has been misplaced on the RMP map.

Further works planned for four other locations in Sligo town, Ardaghowen, Castle Street, O’Connell Street-Lower Knox Street-Wine Street and Wine Street, have not yet taken place; some may happen in 2014.