2016:208 - Dunkellin, Galway

Test excavation was carried out at Dunkellin, Co. Galway in advance of channel widening works associated with the Dunkellin River Flood Relief Scheme. The site is located on the south bank of the river, immediately west of Dunkellin Bridge and in the vicinity of GA103-120001 (settlement), GA103-120002 (castle), GA103-120003 (church) and GA103-120004 (dovecote). The cluster of monuments in the vicinity of the bridge indicates that this was a site of some importance in the medieval period. Dunkellin Castle is recorded as the property of the Earl of Clanricard in 1608. Indeed it it likely that the castle was built by the Clanricard Burkes, possibly to control an important fording point on the river. Dunkellin Bridge is recorded as being of 19th-century date but it is clearly much older than this and may be late medieval. The existing wide-span bridge dates from the second half of the 19th century (c.1870) when the river was partly canalised and the surrounding flood plains reclaimed. A date of c.1820 is ascribed to the older bridge to the south. It is certainly earlier, however, as the existing remains preserve evidence of two phases of construction. The original form of the bridge is visible on the east-facing aspect. It is a five-arch structure comprising a central segmental arch with four smaller round arch flood eyes, two to the north and two to the south. The arches have plain limestone voussoirs and there are traces of the cutwaters which are marked on the first edition OS map. Projecting corbels in the arch side walls may be related to the construction methodology for the arches. The second phase saw the bridge widened to the west and reduced to a three-arch structure (the two southern arches of the earlier bridge were blocked). The second phase arches, visible on the west-facing aspect, are distinguished by their use of cut and dressed limestone voussoirs.

The first edition OS map shows that the river was significantly wider prior to canalisation of the river channel in the second half of the 19th century. Indeed the test excavation site appears to have been part of the river channel at the time of the first edition map. A single test trench (L 160m; Wth 2m) was opened along the south bank of the river. The excavation revealed a thin topsoil layer (T 0.15m) over re-deposited material over natural sand and gravel in the east and silt subsoil in the west. The re-deposited material varied from 0.3m to 0.9m in thickness and may be the result of land reclamation works arising from the canalisation of the river in the late 19th century. No archaeological material was found but a compact grey coarse sand and cobble layer uncovered at the base of the trench in the west of the tested area was identified as being of possible archaeological potential. It underlay over 1m of redeposited material and presented as a rough surface. All excavation works at the development stage of the project shall be subject to monitoring.

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