2000:0551 - KILKENNY: Banks of the River Nore, Townparks/Gardens/Collegepark, Kilkenny

Test-trenching was carried out for the proposed Kilkenny Flood Relief Scheme upstream and downstream of John’s Bridge, Kilkenny. This area contains a number of archaeological sites and crosses three townlands within the parishes of St Mary’s and St John’s.

The River Nore runs through the centre of Kilkenny and acted as an eastern boundary to both medieval Irishtown and Englishtown. Englishtown connected to the suburb of St John’s via John’s Bridge, close to the present bridge (Archaeological Urban Survey, Ref. Map 4c: 70). Here the original Augustinian foundation was established (Ref. Map 4c: 67), and a number of mills, including the site of the medieval mill-stream and Maudlin Mills (Ref. Map 4c: 76, 77), line the riverbanks east of this bridge. Little of the city wall (Ref. Map 4b: 6) survives along the Nore, although a number of Victorian tea-houses may have been built onto it. Little is known of the nature of the medieval quays between the two bridges, but the city canal required the construction of stone quays in 1765.

The proposed development is part of the Kilkenny Flood Relief Scheme to widen the River Nore by up to 10m on the east bank and 4m on the west bank.

Eight test-trenches were excavated along the length of the Nore. Trenches 1–3 were excavated in the Peace Park, Gardens townland, close to the swimming pool. Trenches 4 and 5 were excavated along Bateman Quay, close to Dunnes Stores carpark, and Trenches 6–8 were excavated in Collegepark townland on the left bank of the river, to the rear of the Rivercourt Hotel and County Council buildings.

Trench 1 measured 4m square and 3.2m in depth and revealed modern topsoil and silty clays over a rooty, wet, sandy clay. Both were truncated by modern, diesel-soaked rubble fill of an early modern bridge and inlet marked on the first edition OS map. River gravels bearing glass, bone and post-medieval pottery were revealed at a depth of 2m and excavated to a depth of 3.2m. Trench 2 was excavated in two sections over an area measuring 20m. Each trench was 1m wide and 3m deep and revealed topsoil over layers of silty sand, sand and sandy clay bearing modern and post-medieval material. River gravels were revealed at a depth of 2.2–3m+. A single sherd of medieval pottery was recovered from the gravels at a depth of 2.3m. Trench 3 was not excavated owing to access limitations.

Trench 4 was 4.5m long, 1m wide and 3.5m deep. Trench 5 was 3.5m long, 2m wide and 3.5m deep. Both trenches revealed a substantial build-up of modern rubble fill and post-medieval silty sands overlying boulder clays at a depth of 1.5m+.

Trenches 6, 7 and 9 were 6m long, 2m wide and between 2.2m and 3m deep. All revealed a similar profile of topsoil overlying sterile, silty, sandy clay and wet, sandy clay, with occasional root and early modern brick and pottery. These overlay river gravels occurring at a depth of 1.5–2m, containing early modern/post-medieval material. The river gravels in Trenches 6 and 7 produced sherds of 17th-century pottery, and Trench 8 produced a sherd of medieval coarseware.

Further archaeological monitoring of development was recommended.

2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin