2022:192 - Coolcarta East, Galway

Archaeological monitoring of a topsoil strip was carried out in advance of development at Coolcarta East and Annaghcorrib, Co. Galway between 27 April and 4 May 2022. The proposed development comprises a number of agricultural buildings and associated access road on a greenfield site straddling the townlands of Coolcarta East and Annaghcorrib. The stratigraphy generally consisted of 0.3m of compact light grey/brown fine sandy silt topsoil over compact orange/brown silty sand subsoil. The sub-surface remains of the townland boundary consisted of a ditch (Wth 1.5m; D. 0.3m) with gently-sloping sides and a generally flat base. It contained a single fill of mid brown silty clay with occasional small and medium stones. A second linear feature uncovered in the north-east of the site, of similar profile and dimensions to the townland boundary, is co-extant with a field boundary marked on the first edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch map.
Two small sub-circular pits uncovered during the course of monitoring in the south extent of the site of the proposed agricultural buildings complex were excavated on 7 June 2022. The pits were located just 0.64m apart and were very similar in terms of their size, shape and the composition of their fills. The east pit measured 0.39m east-west by 0.47m and had a maximum depth of 0.25m while the west pit measured 0.42m east-west by 0.4m and had a maximum depth of 0.24m. Both pits contained fills of grey/brown sandy silt over black charcoal-rich clayey silt with moderate inclusions of crushed cremated bone. Eighty-seven fragments of cremated bone were recovered from the east pit and these have been identified as adult human bone fragments, most likely long bone elements, indicating that this is a cremation pit burial. A charcoal sample from the east pit is to be submitted for radiocarbon dating.

Dominic Delany & Associates