County: Westmeath Site name: MULLINGAR: Austin Friars Street/McCurtain Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0039
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 644033m, N 753104m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.526056, -7.335904
Archaeological testing was carried out in advance of a proposed commercial development at Austin Friars Street/McCurtain Street, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. The site lies near the eastern boundary of the medieval town and close to the site of the former medieval Augustinian friary. Burials related to this institution had been discovered just west of the site.
Three trenches were excavated, two on Austin Friars Street and one on McCurtain Street. Trench 1 was 18m long, 1.4m wide and 1.6m deep. A layer of brown clay loam lay under the topsoil and extended to 1.1–1.5m deep. It contained white delft pottery and was probably of 18th-century date. This layer overlay boulder clay.
Trench 2 was 17m long, 1.3m wide and 1.5m deep and was parallel to Trench 1. Under topsoil a layer identical to that in Trench 1 extended to 0.5–1.5m deep and overlay boulder clay. It contained black-glazed earthenware and a clay pipe of probable 18th-century date.
Trench 3 was 8m long, 1.3m wide and 1.4m deep. Topsoil was 0.3m deep and overlay natural gravel.
15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth
