County: Wexford Site name: ENNISCORTHY: Parnell (Lemington) Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 20:31 Licence number: 98E0264
Author: Isabel Bennett
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 697349m, N 639944m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.502197, -6.566130
Test excavation took place at a site on the western end of Parnell Road (also known as Lemington Road), Enniscorthy (at the rear of 20 Weafer Street), on 15 June 1998. The site lies just outside of and to the west of the zone of archaeological potential for Enniscorthy town.
The site is in an elevated position on a fairly steeply sloping hill (downhill to north) and would command a good view in most directions but for surrounding buildings. It had been part of a farm complex in the relatively recent past, and a number of sheds stood on it until recently. It could be seen that the site had been levelled out to do this, as a cut-away section was evident on the southern (uphill) side. Nothing of interest was noted in the section, where the topsoil layer was c. 0.3m deep.
Three test-trenches were opened; a long one (Trench A) running east-west and two shorter (Trenches B and C) running north-south, B being 8.8m from the western boundary of the site, and C being 10.8m from the eastern. Each trench was c. 1.06m wide.
At the western side of the site, where outbuildings formerly stood, once their concrete floors and sub-floors were removed the yellow subsoil was immediately apparent. Elsewhere in this area only 0.15m of demolition rubble/topsoil covered the natural. Further eastward the subsoil was found at a greater depth, maximum 0.5m.
The only features encountered were two stone-filled land drains. One, c. 12m from the western end of the site, ran north-south and was found at a depth of 0.46m below present ground level. As the foundations of the proposed development will not exceed 0.33m it will not be disturbed in the construction. The second was found in Trench C, 1.8m from the southern boundary of the site, at a depth of 0.7m below present ground level. It ran east-west and again will not be disturbed by the development. A dump of small stones was encountered inside the gate at the eastern end of the site. These were probably put down to provide a solid base for machinery entering the yard.
Nothing of archaeological significance was found on this excavation.
Glen Fahan, Ventry, Tralee, Co. Kerry
