Historic human remains found in Ballinasloe archaeological excavation

A small burial ground containing the remains of at least ten people was discovered just centimetres beneath the road surface in the centre of Ballinasloe during recent streetscape upgrade works.

Archaeologist Fiona Maguire, a native of Creagh, Ballinasloe, discovered the burial site a mere 12 centimetres below the pavement outside the Supermac's branch on Society Street.

The human remains are thought to date between the years 1477 and 1638. A number of other interesting discoveries were made by the team of archaeologists from Atlantic Archaeology, including that of a very well-preserved set of bone Rosary beads, believed to be 400 to 500 years old.

The discoveries have been described as "heritage gold" and, though they were made last year, news of the full extent of what was uncovered only started to emerge in recent weeks.

An online video presentation about the finds was prepared for Culture Night last month, and it's hoped there will be a small publication put together in the future to detail these discoveries.

Angela Wallace of Atlantic Archaeology explained that Fiona Maguire had been aware of local reports of bones being found in the vicinity of Society Street in years gone by.

"As a result of that, Fiona was keeping a sharp eye out, and one day she spotted what looked like a human femur sticking out from under the pavement," said Angela.

"The guys carefully removed the pavement surface, under our supervision, and we discovered that there were quite a few skeletons there, literally right outside the door of Supermac's on Society Street. There was also an old well uncovered beside them, which may have been a holy well."

During the excavation of one of the skeletons, that of an adult female, some tiny bone beads were found around the foot and lower leg area.

"We managed to collect, in total, 67 of these beads. When we got them cleaned and sent to a conservator they came up as being in great condition, which was astonishing because various services, cables and pipes had cut through this area but the beads had survived.

"We're quite convinced that they're Rosary beads, because you have the small little beads and then the larger beads for saying the Our Father.

"The thread, or whatever held them together, had decomposed but the actual bone beads themselves are in amazing condition," she said.

The two-and-a-half-year street revamp was undertaken by SIAC Construction, in conjunction with Ryan Hanley Consultant Engineers, on behalf of Irish Water and Galway County Council.

Other interesting artefacts uncovered by the archaeologists on site included a trade token and coin (dating to the 17th century) as well as the foundations of the Market House (built 1750-1850) in St Michael's Square.

The scale of engineering work involved in the design of the early town was also reflected in the preservation of cut stone culverts, cast iron gas, water and sewage pipes and a clay levelling layer under some of the streets.

The discovery of the human skeletons on Society Street came almost a decade after Angela Wallace and fellow archaeologist Nuala Hiney discovered much earlier remains during site investigation works in St Joseph's Place, on the western side of the town.

Those remains, found in 2011, were radiocarbon dated to between the sixth and seventh century, AD, and are associated with the site of a church and cemetery levelled during the construction of the housing estate in the 1950s.

Angela said the bone Rosary beads found at Society Street would now go to the National Museum of Ireland and may be put on public display in the future, possibly at the Galway City Museum.

She said herself and Fiona Maguire, in conjunction with Galway County Council Heritage Officer Marie Mannion, and Galway Community Archaeologist, Bernie Doherty, hoped to collaborate on a public document exploring the finds.

"We hope to draw all of the elements together to produce a small publication highlighting the amazing discoveries around the town and the rich history and heritage that was uncovered on this project," she said.