2016:211 - Portumna Demesne, Galway

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Galway Site name: Portumna Demesne

Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA127-020 Licence number: C775, E4768

Author: Dominic Delany

Site type: Friary

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 585445m, N 703967m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.086103, -8.217266

Pre-development testing was carried out in advance of ducting within the area of archaeological constraint for Portumna Abbey (National Monument No. 461) on 5 and 6 September 2016. Portumna is the site of an Anglo-Norman settlement founded by Richard de Burgho, Lord of Connacht, in the 13th century. The medieval castle known as 'Black Castle' stood on the shores of Lough Derg some 300m south of Portumna Abbey, a 15th-century Dominican Friary incorporating parts of the 13th-century parish church.

The cable is routed in the grass verge adjacent to the old stable block on the opposite side of the road to the abbey. Three 15m long test trenches were opened along the 100m section of the route within the area of archaeological constraint for the monument. The stratigraphy generally comprised of a modern topsoil layer (T 0.15m) over rubble fill (T 0.45m) over orange/brown subsoil. Frequent inclusions of stone, brick and mortar in the rubble suggest this fill is the result of the demolition phases which are evident from examination of Ordnance Survey maps, namely the relocation of the stable block entrance in the mid-late 19th century and the subsequent demolition of a large L-shaped building located immediately southwest of the stable block. Wall foundations associated with the demolished building and an old boundary wall flanking the original entrance to the stable block were uncovered during testing. Human remains were uncovered within the subsoil directly opposite the gable wall of the friary church. The remains comprised fragments of a human skull, possibly representing an in situ burial, and a disarticulated long bone fragment. The remains were uncovered at a depth of 0.7m and will not be impacted upon by the proposed ducting which is to be inserted at a depth of 0.6m. The exposed bones were covered with geotextile and fine sand prior to trench re-instatement.

Subsequent monitoring of cable trench excavations was carried out from 3-5 October 2016. The trench depth was reduced to 0.5m to allow a generous buffer above the human remains which were uncovered at a depth of 0.7m during testing. Small fragments of disarticulated human bone were uncovered during the excavation of a small pit for a new street light c.5m from the northwest corner of the stable block. Investigations within the pit revealed no further remains.

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