1996:357 - DENIS BURKE PARK, Clonmel, Tipperary

During the monitoring of pipe-laying in Denis Burke Park, Clonmel, the remains of a post-medieval harbour were found.

The site was located on the south bank of the River Suir and to the south-east of the listed medieval town of Clonmel.

There were no indications in the written or cartographic records to suggest that there was anything of archaeological significance in Denis Burke Park.

The find consisted of a docking area, quay wall and the remains of a well-worn sloping surface extending to the wharf . The wharf was 6m to the south of the existing retaining wall on the south bank of the River Suir. This area was reclaimed from the river after the wharf went out of use.

The main structure consisted of a loading/unloading platform, built on wooden piles. A quay wall was tied into the main structure. The remains of a sloped surface extended down to the loading platform. A few archaeological finds were uncovered, of relatively modern, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century date.

Although the wooden piles were sent away for dating, the tree-ring series could not be used for dendrochronological dating.

It is believed that the wharf was in use prior to the construction of two bridges across the River Suir in the early nineteenth century. Much industrial activity took place on the south side of the river and it was necessary to transfer materials and goods across the river to County Waterford. Several-lime kilns and an eighteenth-century salt and lime works were located near the wharf. The point of docking on the Clonmel side of the River Suit appears to have been at the Anglesey Street end of the New Quay, opposite the find in Burke Park. It is likely that the wharf was in use during the eighteenth century and fell into disuse following the construction of the nearby Gashouse Bridge in the early nineteenth century.

1 Jervis Place, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary