  Recently, a new type of unconventional superconductivity with a field-induced
transition between two different superconducting (SC) states was discovered in
the heavy fermion system CeRh$_{2}$As$_{2}$. This unusual SC state was proposed
to be based on specific symmetries of the underlying structure, i.e., a
globally centrosymmetric layered structure, but where the Ce-layers themselves
lack inversion symmetry. This new type of SC state has attracted strong
interest, prompting the search for further heavy fermion systems crystallizing
in structures with appropriate symmetries. We report the discovery and the
study of a new Ce-based heavy fermion system with a globally centrosymmetric
structure but without inversion symmetry on the Ce-site,
Ce$_{2}$Ir$_{3}$Ga$_{5}$. A single crystal X-ray diffraction study revealed an
orthorhombic U$_{2}$Co$_{3}$Si$_{5}$ type structure. Resistivity, specific
heat, and magnetization measurements indicate a moderate-heavy fermion behavior
with a Kondo energy scale of the order of 40 K. Most experimental results
suggest the absence of magnetic order, but a tiny anomaly in the specific heat
opens the possibility for a very weak, itinerant type of ordering.
