County: Wexford Site name: TEMPLESHANNON, Enniscorthy
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 95E0266
Author: Isabel Bennett
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 697929m, N 640346m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.505704, -6.557474
Archaeological testing, in the form of machine-dug trial- trenching, was carried out at this site on 25 November 1995. The area in question, the former site of Buttle's bacon factory, falls within the zone of archaeological potential for Enniscorthy town as outlined in the Urban Archaeological Survey for County Wexford. Planning permission for a swimming pool and leisure complex has been obtained for the site, with a condition that archaeological testing take place.
Three trenches in all were dug, concentrating on the area where the pool and the service trenches would be located since the vast majority of the building would be constructed at a higher level than the present ground level owing to the danger of flooding, as the site is right beside the Slaney.
In each trench difficulties were encountered with breaking through surviving concrete floors, but enough material was removed in each case (to a depth of 1.2m) to show that the underlying material on the site was extremely disturbed, consisting of extant concrete floors and mixed rubble below them (all containing fragments of red brick). In one area in Trench 1 an apparently undisturbed soil was encountered at the very base of the trench, at a depth of 1.2m. It consisted of a soft yellow clay and the rubble layers lay directly on top of it. There were no finds (apart from very modern material) from the site.
Glen Fahan, Ventry, Tralee, Co. Kerry
