2014:447 - N17 Carrownurlaur-Ballindine Road Scheme, Galway

Stage (i) and Stage (ii) archaeological consultancy services were carried out in the townlands of Carrownurlaur, Newtown South and Ballindine West on the route of the N17 Carrownurlaur to Ballindine road scheme (proposed) in May 2014. Further to consultation with landowners the proposed road realignment was redesigned in order to increase the distance from existing residences. Stage (i) and Stage (ii) services of this additional area were undertaken in July 2014. The work was undertaken on behalf of Galway County Council. The proposed project involved the re-alignment of an approximately 2km section of the existing N17 Tuam to Claremorris road, to the immediate south of Ballindine. A single Recorded Monument (an enclosure, MA112-104---) lies to the immediate north-east of the existing road, south of Ballindine (in Ballindine West townland). No upstanding remains of the site were visible on inspection and the CPO area does not impact on the constraints area of the site.

Forty-eight test trenches were excavated along the route between 14 and 20 May 2014. An additional eleven test trenches were excavated in fields 11 and 13 on 10 and 11 July 2014. Following stage (i) test-trenching, several archaeological features were identified. The identified remains comprised seven areas of pyrolithic activity in the form of burnt mounds and burnt spreads. These features were investigated as part of stage (ii) services. These sites were summarily investigated in order to establish their extent, depth and nature. At each potential site an extended area was topsoil stripped to establish the horizontal extent of the site. Subsequently features identified were cleaned, surveyed and photographed. A number of sondages were excavated through some of these features in order to establish depth. These sites are described in brief below. The sites are numbered below as Carrownurlaur 2-8 (the reference Carrownurlaur 1 had been allocated to a site previously excavated as part of the N17 Carrownurlaur Bends scheme under consent number E0323 and for ease of reference this numbering is continued here).

Carrownurlaur 2 consists of a deposit of burnt stone and charcoal, roughly circular in plan and measuring 14m (north-south) x 16m. Carrownurlaur 3 presented as a deposit of heat-fractured and fire-reddened stone in a charcoal-rich peaty matrix running across the trenches. The burnt mound material was a large irregularly shaped mound that measured approximately 18.6m (north-south) x 17.5 (Area 1). At the north-west a small deposit of burnt mound material (C8) measuring approximately 5m (north-south) x 3.2m (Area 2) was also evident. Two possible troughs were identified in the north-west section of Area 1. Carrownurlaur 4 comprised a small irregularly shaped spread that measured 5.2m (east-west) x 5.6m. Carrownurlaur 5 was ‘comma’ shaped in plan and measured 3.85m (north-south) x 4.38m. Carrownurlaur 6 was oval in plan, measuring 7.83m (north-south) x 7m. The exposed section of Carrownurlaur 7 (which extended under an in-use access track) was a quarter circle measuring 5.5m (north-south) x 6.5m and as such is presumably the south-eastern quadrant of a larger circular or oval feature. Carrownurlaur 8 comprised a small irregularly shaped spread that measured 6m (north-south) x a maximum of 2.4m. The burnt spread continued into the unexcavated southern limit of test Trench 4 (the landowner requested that this area remain unexcavated as it was currently in use as access to land further east).

Moore Archaeological and Environmental Services Ltd, Corporate House, Ballybrit Business Park, Galway