2018:512 - Ballygarraun South, Athenry, Co. Galway, Galway

Licensed monitoring and investigation work (18E003) was carried out at Ballygarraun South townland, 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. 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 by H.T. 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.
Groundwork's through the modern lane took place on 10 August 2018; prior to this the ground on either side of the road, north and south, had been stripped and reduced to the required levels. Excavations through the road measured approximately 18m in length (east/north-east/west-south-west) by 7m wide.
Below the tarmacadam surface was a 0.7m thick modern road base of cobbled-sized aggregate and gravel. On the north side of the lane was a water duct laid down in the 1980s; along the southern edge was the remains of a wall foundation. Mechanical excavations were suspended in order to manually investigate this feature. The foundation was a double skinned foundation, one course deep and made of dry stone random rubble with packing stones. It was best preserved at its center and petered out at either terminal. A trowel-back of the immediate area exposed 19th-/early 20th-century white table ware, shards of brown glass, fragments of red and yellow brick and metal debris. Following a discussion with Hugh Carey, Archaeologist (NMS) and the Consulting Engineers it was decided to preserve the remnants in situ. Following a drawn survey, the wall was covered with terram geotextile and the site infilled to the required levels.
Elsewhere along the access way, monitoring identified two pits and a linear feature all of which produced modern material.

Reference:
Knox, H.T. ‘Ballygarraun and Raheen Group of Works’ JGAHS, 1917-18.

Moore Archaeological and Environmental Services Ltd. 3 Gort na Ri, Athenry, Co. Galway