2024:366 - Cashel Plaza, Main Street, Cashel, Tipperary

Archaeological monitoring occurred of Cashel Plaza rejuvenation. The works involved replacing modern flagstones in front between the closed-off carriageway on the north side of the Plaza and the retail units to northwest (circa 200m²); replacement of flagstones comprising the Plaza, with new flagstones, installing new statement piece curvilinear limestone bench seating, drainage ducts and number 5 canopy style umbrellas on the Plaza (circa 400m²). The proposed rain garden was not proceeded with.

• The footpath replacement involved removal of existing cobble lock paving 0.1m and excavation of 0.08 to 0.1m sand bedding to reset bedding and install limestone flag paving. All works were at a surface level and modern stratigraphy.

The Plaza area entailed removal of existing modern flags and cobble lock paving (0.1m) and excavation of 0.08 to 0.1m sand bedding throughout. The south-southeast border area of the site was excavated for the length of the Plaza a further 0.1m to install the limestone signature curvilinear bench. The north-northwest side of the Plaza entailed further excavation of five 2m by 2m areas to a depth of 1.2m at ITMs 607610 640610; 607607 640606; 607600 640604; 607596 640602; and 607592 640595. While there was some variation of the relevant stratigraphy, it consisted of; surface paving; onto grey sand and gravel; onto modern mixed building debris; onto yellow redeposited natural clay in some instances; onto grey brown mottled silt and stone (with some inclusions of animal bone and oyster shell – medieval layer); onto base surface of orange natural sand or clay.

The mottled grey brown silt compromised what would originally have been an organic refuse layer consistent with other similar medieval deposition within the urban core of Cashel. Some animal bone and two pieces of oyster shell were retrieved from the excavated locations. No other materials, structures or deposits of an archaeological or historical nature were present. It is therefore considered that the material identified and retrieved comprised general waste contemporaneous to the life of the medieval urban centre.

The osteoarchaeological analysis of the animal bone recovered from the grey brown organic waste layer – most likely a medieval strata – identified them as belonging to cattle, sheep and a dog.