County: Galway Site name: Dock Street, Queen Street and Bóthar na Long, Galway
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA094-100 Licence number: 18E0628
Author: Richard Crumlish
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 530668m, N 725129m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.271958, -9.039436
Monitoring of site investigation works in advance of a proposed development at the junction of Dock Road, Queen Street and Bóthar na Long, at the Docks in Galway City, was carried out over five days between 22 October and 1 November 2018. The monitoring was a condition of planning granted by An Bord Pleanála. The proposed development consisted of a mixed-use office development provided in four blocks over a single basement level. The monitoring was necessary as the proposed development site was partly located within the constraint for Galway (GA094-100).
The proposed development site was a former oil storage facility, previously a gas works. No features of archaeological significance were visible within the site. Bordered to the south and west by public roads and to the north by the Ceannt Station railway complex, to the east was an overgrown and disused railway embankment and Forthill Cemetery (GA094-099), which includes a graveyard (GA094-099001), a bastioned fort (GA094-099002) and an Augustinian Friary (GA094-099003).
Previous, unlicensed, monitoring of site investigation works at the proposed development site took place during the summer of 2016. Ten trial holes were excavated which measured 1.8m long, 0.6m wide and 1.4-2m deep. Below the hardcore and concrete on the surface was further concrete and layers of re-deposited material (fill). No features of archaeological significance were in evidence.
The site investigations consisted of the excavation (by machine) of thirty-two trial pits, part of a Soil Quality Assessment. The trial pits measured 1.2-5.8m north-west/south-east by 0.9-5.5m and 1.1-4.6m deep. Below the tarmac, concrete and quarried stone on the surface was modern fill. Below the fill was disturbed layers and natural subsoil. Bedrock was visible in places below the natural subsoil. A tar-like layer, found in two of the trial pits, appeared to represent evidence of the previous industrial activity on the site. Original topsoil was found below the disturbed layers and above natural subsoil in three of the trial pits.
There was no evidence of pre-20th-century activity with none of the modern artefacts which were recovered retained. Nothing of archaeological significance was in evidence.
4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, County Mayo
