County: Roscommon Site name: KILLEIGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 25:17 Licence number: —
Author: Dominic Delany
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 636735m, N 718317m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.214000, -7.449999
Archaeological monitoring of the excavation of foundation trenches for a proposed dwelling-house extension was undertaken at Killeigh in January 1997. Killeigh takes its name from Cill Aichidh, ‘the church of the field’. A monastery was founded here by St Sinchell the Elder in the early 6th century, and traces of the original ecclesiastical enclosure survive on the south-west side of the village. The monastery subsequently adopted the Augustinian rule and fragmentary remains of the 12th-century Augustinian abbey are incorporated in the present Protestant church.
The site of the proposed development (9m north–south by 6m east–west in extent) is located at the rear of a fine stone dwelling-house on the north side of the village fairgreen. Excavations at the adjoining sites to the east and west were monitored by the writer in January and June 1995 (Excavations 1995, 77; 95E0015) but nothing of archaeological interest was noted. A spread of rubble from the demolition of an existing extension formed the site surface prior to excavation. This rubble overlay a redeposited sandy clay with inclusions of red brick and modern pottery sherds and glass fragments. A natural coarse grey sand and gravel was encountered at an average depth of 0.5m. No archaeological deposits or features were encountered.
20–21 Main Street, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
