2015:395 - Killursa Church and Graveyard, Ower, Headford, Galway

Testing was carried out on the site of a proposed extension to Killursa Graveyard at Ower, Headford, Co. Galway on 27 February 2015. Killursa is an ecclesiastical site comprising of a church (GA041-045), graveyard (GA041-045001) and enclosure (GA041-045002). It is reputedly the site of a 7th-century monastery founded by St Fursa (or Fursey). The archaeological remains consist of a multi-period church on the north-west boundary of an irregularly shaped graveyard defined by a stone wall. The church, National Monument No. 231, is primarily late medieval in date but incorporates traces of an earlier church including a trabeate doorway in the west gable. It has been suggested that the curving west wall of the graveyard may be part of a possible early ecclesiastical enclosure. The site of the proposed graveyard extension wraps around the curving west wall. A low linear bank extending north-west/south-east across the field correlates to an old field boundary marked on the second edition OS map of c.1900.

A geophysical survey was carried out on the site of the proposed graveyard extension in July 2014 (McCarthy, 2014). A number of anomalies detected on the geophysical results were considered to represent remnants of field boundaries, cultivation activity and some modern material/features within the sub-surface. No evidence of clearly identifiable archaeological features was detected but intrusive testing over the more significant anomalous responses was recommended.

Six test trenches were targeted on anomalies detected in the geophysical survey. Testing revealed a uniform stratigraphy across most of the site with 0.3-0.5m of grey/brown sandy silt topsoil overlying grey clayey sand and gravel with frequent stones and occasional large boulders. The only deviation from this was in the most westerly trench (Trench 6) where reddish/brown sandy silt topsoil overlay orange/brown clayey sand subsoil. There was nothing to indicate the source of the anomalies identified by geophysics and the only finds from testing were a couple of pieces of modern delph.

Dominic Delany & Associates, Creganna, Oranmore, Co. Galway