2020:044 - Various Galway, TOWNPARKS (Galway By., Rahoon Par.), Galway

Archaeological monitoring of groundworks, on behalf of Irish Water, for the Galway Water Mains Rehabilitation Works, was undertaken along roads in Roscam, Coolagh, Shantalla, Salthill, Mervue, The Claddagh and Bohermore between July 2018 and December 2019. The works involved replacing old pipe infrastructure with PE pipe and the contractors utilised several methodologies including open cut, directional drilling and pipe bursting. An Assessment (2016) recommended that all groundworks within areas where proposed ground works intersect with zones of notification surrounding RMPs and within identified Areas of Archaeological Potential be subject to full time archaeological monitoring.

Roscam Section
Works in Roshill, Roscam took place in July 2018 along a local access road. The route passed through the former demesne lands of Rosshill House and east of Roscam ecclesiastical enclosure, church, graveyard and round tower (GA094-072001- GA094-072014). The pipe work was installed using open cut trenches in an area of limestone bedrock below the asphalt surface. No archaeology was found.

Coolagh, Briar Hill Section
Monitoring at Coolagh took place along a local access road in July 2018. Coolagh was identified in the original assessment as a post-medieval clustered settlement centred on a triangular green space interpreted as a possible fair green. One feature was noted, a stone-built culvert crossing the road at ITM 535048 727170. An elderly local resident remembered his neighbours constructing the culvert to prevent seasonal flooding.

Michael Collin’s Road, Mervue Section
Monitoring was required as the works area intersects within the ‘zone of notification’ for the St. James’s medieval Church and associated Graveyard, GA094-010--& GA094-010001-. The pipe work was installed using the directional drilling method requiring the excavation of a series of launch and receptor pits. The pits dug to a depth of 1.2m, exposing modern infill, service pipes and redeposited silty clay.

Whitestrand Avenue, Salthill Section
Monitoring at Whitestrand Avenue, Salthill took place in March 2019. The work was near St. Anne’s Holy Well in Kilcorkey (GA094-094). An open trench along the east side of Whitestrand Avenue exposed frequent modern services with a mix of infills over redeposited ground and sandy gravels and natural clay. Several late 19th- early 20th-century finds were retrieved, a plate with transfer-printed crest ‘Castle Hotel, Ballybunion’, a fork, stone ware fragments and an intact glass inkpot.

Shantalla
Groundworks for this element of the works mostly involved pipe bursting and directional drilling so excavations were limited to launch and receptor pits along local roads and on footpaths above existing services. The stratigraphy exposed was a mix of redeposited sand and gravel and natural clay.

Claddagh Section - Fairhill Road, St. Dominic’s Road, Priory Road, St. Nicholas' Road/Claddagh
A total of seven SMR sites are located within 200m of this section of the scheme including the Dominican friary (GA094-091--& 091001) and graveyard, a chapel (GA094-091002) and a settlement cluster (GA094-092-). Groundworks for this element involved pipe bursting and directional drilling. Monitoring noted infilled ground and natural gravels. The exception to this was dark silty deposits noted along Fairhill Road and Grattan Road. The deposit on Fairhill contained shell and 20th-century debris.

Prospect Hill & Bohermore Section
Monitoring along Prospect Hill and Bohermore took place intermittently between August and November 2019. The work was undertaken as the route follows the principal medieval and post-medieval approach to the town and was fortified by siege works during the Cromwellian era. In addition, the route passes the former site of a Leacht (GA094-128) featured on the mid-17th century Pictorial Map of Galway. The works along this road involved the excavation of an open-cut trench laid 1m from the eastern kerbside approximately 0.45m wide by 1.1m deep. Generally, the stratigraphy exposed natural light brown sandy clay below the road base. Variations to this profile were noted near Nos 1-4 Connolly Terrace where low-lying soft ground had been infilled with rubble stone. Other anomalies included a dump of animal bone outside No. 198 Bohermore, the result of a backyard butcher and the cut and cover fill over the railway tunnel opposite 80-84 Bohermore.

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