County: Galway Site name: Ballydavid South
Sites and Monuments Record No.: None Licence number: 23E0455
Author: Richard Crumlish
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 550173m, N 729197m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.310704, -8.747685
Monitoring of groundworks at a housing development in Ballydavid South, on the northern outskirts of Athenry, was carried out on 6 June 2023. The monitoring concerned the construction of a boundary wall along the north-east side of a residential housing development, which was located in the vicinity of an anomaly identified in a geophysical survey of the site, which was carried out in 2021. An impact assessment, compiled by the writer in 2022, had recommended monitoring of the excavation of the section of the foundation of the boundary wall in proximity to the anomaly.
The relevant section of the foundation trench measured 44.1m long, 1.1-1.3m wide and 0.3-0.5m deep. The monitoring revealed topsoil above natural subsoils and nothing of archaeological significance. An electricity cable and an earth rod, associated with a nearby electricity supply pole, crossed the trench. No artefacts were recovered. There was no visible evidence of the anomaly identified during the geophysical survey, which may have been the result of the underlying natural subsoils or the fact that the site was used for the extraction of sand and gravel in the past.
4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, County Mayo
