2021:506 - RAHARA CHURCH, Roscommon

In advance of conservation works on old Rahara Church (RO045-077001-), an archaeological license was issued on foot of an agreed archaeological method statement. In summary, it was proposed that as far as possible ground disturbance would be kept to an absolute minimum. As such all of the scaffolding feet were placed on stout timbers to avoid any ground disturbance with nearby head stones surrounded in protective wooden shuttering to avoid any accidental damage.

In December 2021, a small hand excavation was undertaken at the base of the west side of the arched doorway in the north wall. This was undertaken to facilitate the insertion of a dressed stone uncovered lying in topsoil, external to the church, some 3m to the east of the doorway. The size, shape and form of the recovered stone made it clear that it was the missing stone from the doorway. The cutting in the doorway measured 500mm by 600mm. Some 250mm of dark yellow-brown loam topsoil was removed to expose the surface of a large flat stone, apparently set directly on the underlying natural compact glacial till. It was clear that the position of this stone in relation to the door jamb meant that it had acted as the foundation stone of the door on this side.

The project stonemasons agreed that there was sufficient space to manoeuvre the re-located jamb stone into place and thus no further archaeological excavations took place.