2026:003 - Mitchell Street, Burgagery Lands, West, Clonmel, Tipperary

The author completed a programme of archaeological monitoring along Mitchell Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, on behalf of Gas Networks Ireland. The works involved the installation of a domestic gas connection to 21 Mitchell Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

The works were within both the ‘zone of notification’ for the historic town, RMP TS083-019—, and the town defences. Clonmel is a member of the Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN) and has a well-defined plan of upstanding and buried structural remains. The defences extend from the River Suir encompassing a broad rectangle that contains the medieval main street (present O’Connell Street/Mitchell Street) and the main medieval cross street (Gladstone Street/Sarsfield Street) with an additional rectangular plot at the north-west corner that encloses the grounds of the medieval church and graveyard of Old St Mary’s. The works were also carried out with the Zone of Notification for Clonmel Mainguard (National Monument number 667, RMP Number TS083-019004—).

The monitoring was carried out at the request of the client.

Four trenches were excavated to facilitate the gas connection between 13 and 16 October 2025.  An additional trench which was not accounted for was excavated south towards the wall of the building to the rear of the Main Guard to facilitate a metering box.

T1 was small trench opened at the junction of Sarsfield Street and Mitchell Street adjacent to the Main Guard in order to identify the line of the existing gas mains. This trench measured 500mm x 400mm in plan and extended to a depth of 300mm to the existing mains.

T2 was a narrow trench excavated across the street from the footpath at the rear of the Main Guard across Mitchell Street to No. 21. Two lengths were opened either side of the footpath kerbing, measuring 1.2m in length x 500mm wide and 1.6m in length x 500mm wide. The trenches were excavated to a depth of 400mm.

T3 comprised a small trench at the front wall of No. 21 to feed the new gas supply into the building. T3 measured 1.4m long and was between 500mm and 800mm wide with a depth of 500mm. This trench removed part of a possible footing, projecting 200mm out from the front wall on the right of doorway and also punched a hole through the fabric of the front wall, both composed of coursed rubble stone, mainly sandstone, with lime mortar. No 21 is a structure of unknown date, at least 1830s, and was formerly a protected structure but has been removed from the register.

T4 comprised a long trench opened along the street on north side (adjacent to No. 21, following the the existing services). This trench measured 8m long by 500mm wide with a depth of 500mm.

A metering box was also installed on a west facing wall to the rear of the Main Guard.

The stratigraphy was consistent throughout, with tarmac and hardcore overlying modern fill material with frequent modern service ducts and cabling. Nothing of archaeological significance was noted.