2025:663 - Barrack Street, Loughrea, Galway

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Galway

Site name: Barrack Street, Loughrea

Sites and Monuments Record No.: GA105-150

Licence number: 25E0993

Author: Martin Fitzpatrick

Author/Organisation Address: Killeenaram, Ballinderreen, County Galway

Site type: Brewery

Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)

ITM: E 561791m, N 716481m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.197395, -8.571835

The archaeological monitoring was completed over a period of four days from 28 October 2025. The remains of two cobble surfaces and the foundations of the former 19^th-century brewery building were uncovered and recorded.

The archaeologist was initially contacted in September 2025 as a mechanical excavator was clearing ground to enable a crane access to undertake repair works to the dwelling house immediately west of the site. The site had been cleared south from Barrack Street to facilitate access. The exposed stratigraphy indicated made-up ground/fill over a silty clay. In the south of the site the stratigraphy was garden soil c. 0.7m deep over a sandy silt. In the east of the site a layer of cobbles associated with the adjoining property was exposed at a depth of c. 0.5m.

Licensed archaeological monitoring of the excavation of the remainder of the site was undertaken over a period of four days from 28 October 2025. The stratigraphy was similar to that previously encountered with fill material over silty clay in the centre and north of the site and deep topsoil 0.4-0.5m deep over grey silty clay in the south and west of the site. A concrete slab was uncovered below topsoil in the west.

The cobbles revealed in east of the site were manually cleaned back and recorded. A further layer of cobbles was encountered below the topsoil in the west of the site while excavation for an attenuation pond (6m x 6m) revealed the foundations of an east-west running wall that would appear to be the remains of the former brewery building. Following consultation with the client it was established that the level required for the footprint of the building and the area of the attenuation meant that the features uncovered could be preserved in situ. A layer of geotextile membrane was placed over the features, and they were covered.

The various editions of the historic ordnance survey maps record a brewery at the site that included a central courtyard area with buildings in the east, south and west. The remains of eastern building range survive today however no trace of the buildings in the south or east survives above ground level. The archaeological monitoring has revealed the cobbled surfaces associated with the brewery structure and the foundations level of the southern range of the building. No traces of the western range of the building were uncovered.