What is recorded here

Midden in Roeillaun (ballynakill Ph.) is a compacted oyster-shell deposit on a small abandoned tidal island in County Galway, reachable only at low tide through a narrow stone causeway. Winter storms have cut the neck of a nearby islet, exposing shell layers between boulder clay and shallow peat along a coral beach. People may have eaten there, discarded what remained, and returned later when the sea withdrew. The island keeps that repeated human presence buried beneath peat, waiting for the tide to reveal it again.

This midden is located at the NW end of Roeillaun, a small abandoned tidal island, which is accessible at low tide by means of a narrow stone causeway from the mainland to the SE. It is visible along the eroding mantel of peat above the shoreline of a small coral beach (L c. 50m) but is mainly concentrated around a knoll at its NW end and the SE end of a small islet opposite it. The islet was formerly a small promontory connected to the island – as shown on the OS 6-inch maps. As a result of winter storms its neck has eroded away. The midden material consists of a layer of compacted oyster shells (D 0.2-0.3m) visible between a lower layer of boulder clay and an upper layer of shallow peat or, in places, soil and coral shell layers. Numerous oyster shells are also visible strewn about the coral beach. This monument was brought to our attention by local archaeologist Mr Michael Gibbons. Compiled by: Olive Alcock with information supplied by Mr Michael Gibbons Date of upload: 28 May 2019

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