2017:337 - Isert Kelly Castle, Galway

The aim of this excavation is to explore the archaeological evidence for structural remains and occupation deposits in the bawn beside the tower-house of Isert Kelly. Isert Kelly was selected for study because it is a well-preserved tower-house with substantial evidence for other structures around it. The tower-house, which is rectangular in plan and measures c.13m north-south by 10.8m, sits at the south-western corner of a square bawn, now defined by a grassy bank which covers the lower courses of the destroyed bawn wall. The remains of a large, rectangular stone-built structure can be seen in the south-eastern corner of the bawn and evidence for other structures may be seen across the site. This was the fourth season of excavation at Isert Kelly and it is planned to fully publish the results of the excavation after several further excavation seasons are completed.

Two trenches were opened during the 2017 excavation. Trench 4 measured 4m x 4m and targeted the tower-house’s latrine outfall, while Trench 5 measured 12m x 6m and transected a rectangular building (Structure 3) in the south-east corner of the bawn. After removing the sod, it was clear that Trench 4 was dominated by the remains of two large walls – the bawn wall (C.5) running east-west and a secondary wall (C.80) which ran southwards from where it abutted the bawn wall in the centre of the trench. The bawn wall was generally 1.7m thick and survived only as a linear grass-covered mound prior to excavation, but the southern façade of the wall survived to a depth of 2m below ground level. The secondary wall, C.80, was generally 1.1m thick and appears to have been constructed to contain the material emanating from the latrine outfall – the wall ran parallel to the tower-house wall and the intervening 1.2m-wide gap was filled with dark soils containing considerable quantities of faunal remains and of molluscan material, all of which were sampled in full.

Numerous finds were recorded in this area too, many of which were sherds of thin, flat window glass. Pieces of lead window cames were also found along with vessel glass, numerous iron nails, sherds of post-medieval pottery and occasional clay-pipe fragments. Excavation will continue in this area in 2018.

Trench 5 was laid out across the centre of a large building in the south-east corner of the bawn. This building appears to be aligned east-west and the trench transected it across the centre, leaving the western and eastern ends of the structure untouched. Two parallel walls were found to cross the trench running east-west – the southern wall was easily identified as the bawn wall, while the northern wall (C.91) was interpreted as the northern wall of the building under investigation. In situ jambs of a punch-dressed, moulded doorway were recorded in the centre of C.91 and this high-status feature could indicate that the structure was a late medieval hall which had been built into the corner of the bawn. The building had an internal width of 6.8m, while the length of the structure remains unclear and requires further excavation.

Birchall, Oughterard, Co. Galway