1996:361 - CLONMEL: 35–36 O'Connell Street, Tipperary

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Tipperary Site name: CLONMEL: 35–36 O'Connell Street

Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 83:19 Licence number: 96E0112

Author: Mary Henry

Site type: Town defences

Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)

ITM: E 621945m, N 622350m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.352306, -7.677864

The site was located inside the medieval walled town of Clonmel. The work was carried out in advance of the construction of an apartment block. The purpose of the excavation to the rear of 35–36 O'Connell Street, the main medieval street in Clonmel, was to establish the nature of archaeological remains on the site prior to development.

The excavation confirmed the presence of the medieval town wall, which extended along the former riverfront. It ran through the site in an approximate east-west direction and occurred c. 2m below modern ground level. It was well constructed and in a good stare of preservation. It was 0.9–0.95m wide and stood to a maximum height of 1.2m. It was built of uncut blocks of sandstone, randomly coursed, with a solid core of rubble and mortar. It was well faced and had a slight batter along both faces. The wall had been built on a foundation plinth on compact estuarine gravels.

It was possible to rest the site outside the medieval wall. This area was reclaimed from the River Suir in recent times. There was no evidence remaining to indicate that there ever was a town ditch outside the medieval wall. The River Suit acted as the final line of defence for the town along the south circuit and that negated the need for a ditch.

A narrow sally-port was found in the town wall. It was 0.87m wide and survived to a height of 1.8m. All that survived were two dressed sandstone piers, a flat smooth step at the base of the piers, two iron hinges, a circular bolt-receiver and a square opening, for a possible draw-bar. The gateway provided minor access through the town wall to the river.

Although the excavation area inside the line of the town wall was confined, it was nevertheless possible to open a trench on this part of the site. Medieval deposits were found at a depth of 3.2m below modern ground level on the town side of the town wall. The depth of the deposits and the overlying sealant, a reddish-brown impervious clayey sand, enabled their survival. The deposits, of dark grey silty sand, remained undisturbed during the course of the test excavation and were protected from development works. They consisted of waste material dumped behind the houses fronting the main medieval street. Weeds of disturbed ground, animal and fish bones, shell fragments, charcoal, wood-chippings and twigs were represented in the organic spread. Fourteenth-century pottery was also found. The deposits may be part of infill to raise ground levels after the town wall had been built. The construction of the town wall in Clonmel dates mainly from the fourteenth century.

1 Jervis Place, Clonmel Co. Tipperary