Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In Aghagower village, adjacent to a graveyard (MA088-063002-) which encloses a medieval church (MA088-063001-) and round tower (MA088-063003-).
The medieval monastery of Aghagower traced its foundations to a church said to have been established here in the 5th century by Patrick (Gwynne and Hadcock 1970, 28). However no structural remains survive from this period. This record relates to a ditch which may have bounded all or part of the precincts of the early medieval monastery.
The ditch was discovered in 2006 during archaeological monitoring of the installation of sewage works (Ministerial consent C030) (Zajac 2006). The works trench (Wth 2m) was opened along the W edge of the modern road, which lies parallel and immediately outside the graveyard wall on the NE and E side of the graveyard. Two separate, short sections of the enclosure ditch (Wth 2-3.5m; D c. 0.8-1m) were uncovered in the trench, c. 30m apart, one at the NE angle of the graveyard (ITM 503444 780411) and one c. mid-way along the E side of the graveyard wall (ITM 503438 708378).
The ditch fill consisted of a dense, dark-brown soil with inclusions of animal bone, charcoal and wood fragments (hazel, blackthorn and ash). A piece of iron slag was also recovered.
The small assemblage of animal bones (31 fragments) included bones from cattle, sheep/goat and pigs, consisting mainly of meat-poor elements, suggesting that they are remains of butchery and slaughter waste. One cattle horn-core fragment had been cut off at the base from the skull, probably to extract and utilize the horn sheath.
Radiocarbon analysis of a sample of animal bone returned an early medieval date: 580-661 AD (2 Sigma, 95%) (pers. comm. S. Zajac 2021)
The excavation was necessarily limited and the full extent of the ditch/ecclesiastical enclosure remains unknown, nevertheless, the results offers a glimpse of hitherto hidden aspects of this important medieval ecclesiastical site.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 14 May 2021

References

Zajac, S. 2006 2006:1401 - Aghagower, Mayo. In Excavations.ie Database of Irish Excavation Reports: https://excavations.ie/report/2006/Mayo/0016153/

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.