County: Tipperary Site name: CASHEL: Bank Place
Sites and Monuments Record No.: RMP 61:25 Licence number: 00E0312
Author: Mary O’Donnell, Archaeological Services Unit, University College Cork
Site type: Historic town and Burial
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 607714m, N 640720m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.517806, -7.886333
A site at Bank Place, Cashel, Co. Tipperary, was scheduled for redevelopment. The site is within the zone of archaeological potential of the town, as defined by the Urban Archaeology Survey. It is also within the known area of the medieval town, and part of the town wall runs through the site. The Dominican priory forms part of the northern boundary of the site. The site was test-trenched from 8 to 12 May 2000.
The site is irregularly shaped and composed of three distinct areas (Areas A, B and C). Area A fronts onto Bank Place to the south-west, and an upstanding portion of the town wall forms the north-west boundary. Area B fronts onto Dominic Street on the west, with St Dominic’s friary church forming the northern boundary of the site and the town wall forming the southern boundary. A breach in the town wall connects areas A and B. A two-storey stone building stands on the line of the former town wall on the south-west side of the breach. Area C lies to the rear of Nos 97–99 Main Street and is separated from Area A by a new building, No. 100 Main Street, which was the subject of testing and monitoring by Dave Pollock in 1999 (Excavations 1999, 286, 99E0096). Six trenches were opened: two in Area A, three in Area B and one in Area C.
Area A
In general there was little evidence for medieval occupation towards the south end of Area A (i.e. close to the street frontage of Bank Place), either because this area had not been intensely occupied in the medieval period or because it had been removed by modern building. There was evidence for medieval material both on the eastern side of the area, back from the modern street frontage, and on the northern and western sides of the area. These were recorded but not excavated.
Area B
Three trenches were opened (Trenches 4, 5 and 6) in Area B. Trench 4 was 15m x 1.35–1.5m and 1.45–2.25m deep. It was sited on the north (outside) side of the town wall in the area of the breach. The town wall was revealed on the extreme south end of the trench.
The remains of three burials were partially uncovered in Trench 4. They were recorded as found and left in situ, as they are probably part of a larger area of burials/interments. They were orientated north-west/south-east, and the southernmost burial had been cut by a later ditch, F18. The ditch was 2.9m wide (north–south) and 0.83m deep and extended on the north side of, and parallel to, the town wall, F6. It appears to be a fosse associated with the town wall, although it is earlier than the wall present in Trench 4. The foundations of the wall uncovered in Trench 4 were 0.97–1m wide and a maximum of 0.68m high. The foundations were built directly onto F9, a layer that contained some clay pipe fragments.
The upper layer of the ditch, F13, and another layer, F10, underlay F9. The presence of clay pipe fragments in the layer directly underlying the wall foundations indicates that this wall was constructed in the post-medieval period (17th century or later). It is not clear if the section of wall on the south-west side of the site, close to Dominic Street, is of the same date as the section of wall in Trench 4, as there are differences in the type of stone used and the style of construction. The ditch in Trench 4 is earlier than the wall uncovered and may have been associated with an earlier wall.
Two other trenches (Trenches 5 and 6) were partially excavated in Area B. No features of archaeological interest were uncovered.
Area C
One trench was opened in Area C. It was 1.8m north–south x 9.1m and 0.33–0.55m deep. Possible medieval deposits were uncovered at this depth but were not excavated.
