2024:070 - Sportsground, College Road, Galway City, Galway

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Galway Site name: Sportsground, College Road, Galway City

Sites and Monuments Record No.: Vicinity of GA094-129001-- Licence number: 22E0539 ext.

Author: Declan Moore

Site type: Urban

Period/Dating: N/A

ITM: E 530698m, N 725966m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.279482, -9.039169

A programme of archaeological monitoring of groundworks to facilitate the Sportsground redevelopment at the Connacht Rugby Sportsground, College Road, Galway City was carried out in April 2024.

The Sportsground comprises a stadium, greyhound track, training pitch, two car parks, offices, gymnasium, and maintenance building. The existing complex is in the vicinity of GA094-129001--, classified as a bastioned fort. This fort was one of a series of forts strung out on a line between the Terryland River and Lough Atalia, developed by Cromwellian forces during the siege of 1651/52.

The stratigraphy was consistent throughout the site, with topsoil and sod comprising a mid-brown, sandy clay with a thickness of between 300-400mm. This overlay a compact yellowish-brown clay with frequent small-to-medium-sized stones. Topsoil stripping revealed an extensive drainage system in the lower central section of the site which formed a grid pattern. These drains were filled with gravel and stone.  Alongside Bohermore graveyard to the northwest of the site the ground slopes gently upwards to the graveyard boundary wall.  Here topsoil and sod overlay a compact brown clay with frequent small-to-medium-sized stones. The wall was buttressed using spaced pits filled with concrete to ensure there would be no inadvertent impact.  Towards the northeast and in the vicinity of the site of the star shaped fort, no evidence of it extending into the Connacht Rugby site was noted. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted during the monitoring.

3 Gort na Rí, Athenry, Co. Galway