County: Galway Site name: Ballygarraun South, Athenry, Co. Galway
Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA084-118- Road – road/trackway Licence number: 18E0003
Author: Billy Quinn, Moore Archaeological and Environmental Services Ltd.
Site type: Field boundary
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 549106m, N 727782m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.175200, -8.454800
Archaeological monitoring and investigation work was carried out at Ballygarraun South, Athenry, Co. Galway between May and August 2018 on behalf of Ryan Hanley Consulting Engineers for IDA Ireland. Groundworks for the project involved topsoil stripping a wayleave for an access road extending north-west from an existing roundabout on the R348 Athenry Road into a proposed IDA Campus. The wider area was previously the subject of an Archaeological Assessment by Margaret Gowen and Co. Ltd in June 2006 followed by a geophysical survey and a test excavation (Licence No. 06E0107, Colm Moriarty & Eoin O’Sullivan). These preliminary investigations along the proposed access did not identify any previously unrecorded archaeological sites but noted that the route would directly impact upon a section of GA084-118, classified as a Trackway.
There are a number of recorded monuments in the near vicinity of the proposed access including GA084-014- Enclosure and GA084-001-, the historic town of Athenry. The only site however that was to be directly impacted upon was GA084-118, classified as a Trackway. This linear track is depicted on the RMP sheet as extending for 910m north-east/south-west from near Mount Shaw Enclosure, GA084-014-, through the late 19th-century Raheen Park (NIAH Raheen House - Reg. No. 30332002) and terminating on the Carnaun road, opposite the entrance to the Old Rectory (NIAH - Reg. No. 30332003). The trackway was originally recorded Knox (1917-18). It is described as an ‘ancient road with high sides’. Gowen and Co. Ltd note in their 2006 Assessment ‘that apart from Knox’s surmise there appears to be nothing to indicate that the road was ancient’(sic). In recent years the site of the track has been cleared and overlaid with a new asphalt road used by Teagasc to access farmland.
Monitoring along the accessway exposed an old field boundary, a 19th/20th-century pit/spread and the remains of a 19th-century wall at the location of GA084-118. All the finds recovered were modern with no materials or finds of archaeological potential.
Reference
H.T. Knox, H.T. (1917-18) ‘Ballygarraun and Raheen Group of Works’, JGAHS 1917-18.
3 Gort na Ri, Athenry, Co. Galway
