2022:418 - BALLINROBE: Glebe Street, Friarsquarter West, Mayo

The test excavation of a site in advance of its development at Glebe Street, Ballinrobe, County Mayo, was carried out on 19 December 2022. The project consisted of the conversion of two buildings, of two storeys, into apartments with a commercial unit at ground floor level. The testing, which was requested by the local authority as part of the planning process, was necessary due to the location of the proposed development within the historic town of Ballinrobe (MA118-022).

The site consisted of two buildings, which were part of a terrace fronting onto the north side of Glebe Street in Ballinrobe. The two buildings had a number of modern extensions to the rear with back yards beyond.

Unfortunately the western half of the site was not accessible to a machine, so the testing consisted of the excavation of one trench which was located to best cover the area of the proposed development which was accessible. Trench A measured 5m north-south, 2m wide and 0.9–1.1m deep.

The pre-development testing revealed tarmac, above modern rubble fill, above the original topsoil, above natural subsoil. The tarmac and rubble fill probably dated to the same period as the construction of the adjacent modern extension, which appeared to be constructed during the 1970s or 1980s. Nothing of archaeological significance was in evidence.