Archaeological Finds May Force the Corpo into a Spanish Arch Re—think

City Tribune, Friday, August 26,1988

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By Declan Tierney

Five months of excavation work near the Spanish Arch could result in a wasted exercise to a large extent for a team of history and archaeology students who have unearthed ruins of old Galway dating back over 800 years.

For the area in which they are digging has already been designated for major development by the Corporation and if the end result of the dig is deemed as not being of significant historical value to retain, it will be replaced by an art theatre, a shopping arcade and a housing development.

When the dig is eventually finished the city archaeologist, Marcus Casey will submit a report of the findings to the Corporation and a decision will then be taken on their historical significance to Galway.

One of the biggest discoveries by the team so far has been the remains of the original city wall which they traced down to the foundations, ten feet deep.

The wall dates back to 1270 when it was first started and Mr. Casey is hopeful that it can be retained permanently as a major historical attraction. He said yesterday that it should prove of great tourist interest.

Another major find the students discovered was layers of cobbled streets as well as many other dated artefacts which will go on display to the public once the excavation is complete.

Mr. Casey described the dig as a major success and said he was very pleased that they came across so many of the structures of the old city.

The excavation began last April and will soon be complete and all of the items like old broken pottery, metal coins and various other iron and steel implements that were unearthed will go on show at the city museum in Spanish Parade, which is due to be extended for this purpose.

But the half acre site in which the cobbled streets and part of the ten foot high city wall can now be clearly seen could result in just a momentary glimpse into the past as it is planned to replace it with new buildings.

Mr. Casey said if this were to happen it would be a matter of regret as he believed that at least some of what was unearthed should be retained for public viewing.

"At the moment we are waiting on the plans for the development of the area but I think it would be beneficial if some of our excavations were saved as they are of major historical interest to the city", he told the City Tribune.

But he added that they were limited as to the depth they could dig because of the high levels of water and said that during high tide their trenches were flooded out.

According to acting Town Clerk, P. J. McGovern, no decision will be taken on the site until the Corporation receive a full report on the findings from Mr. Casey detailing how significant they are.

"If the digs show up something of major historical interest to the city then the matter will be seriously looked into and we will be looking for a comprehensive report on the work and the findings from the city archaeologist", he said.

He added that the site has been designated for development, which would include shops, restaurants, housing and the art theatre. Part of the site has also been earmarked for a new road.

"We are primarily interested in developing this site for the good of the area and if there is a solid reason for saving the old part of the city which has been discovered in preference to the proposed development then that is what will happen", he said.

Added Mr. McGovern: "Once we get the report, and if there is a proposal to retain the new findings, it will be weighed against the new development".

The excavation at Spanish Arch is the third of its type to be undertaken in the city. The other two were located at Middle Street and near Eyre Square