County: Tipperary Site name: THURLES: Friar Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0775
Author: Brian Shanahan, for Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Town
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 612352m, N 658623m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.678626, -7.817326
An assessment was carried out before an extension to the rear of street-front premises. The proposed development lies within the zone of archaeological potential of the medieval town of Thurles, adjacent to the Black Castle and within a suburb that had developed outside the West Gate of the town. Rocque’s map of Thurles (1755) indicates that the northern part of Friar Street, where the site lies, was then part of the ornamental castle gardens laid out in a geometric baroque style. The north side of the street was subsequently built on.
Two test-trenches (5.5m by 1m and 1.5m by 1m) were excavated to cover the area of the proposed rear extension. They revealed that subsoil, beige and orange sandy clays, sloped down from north to south (97.49–97.11m OD). It was covered by the original topsoil, a grey/brown silty clay (0.75m thick) containing a single piece of animal bone. The edge of a pit or and east–west-running ditch (0.6m deep) was cut into this layer. It was filled with orange sand, which also covered the original topsoil to the south of the pit. It was suggested that this may relate to landscaping of the formal garden. Farther south and directly behind the existing dwelling a sump (1.25m deep) containing stone and some red brick was exposed. It was probably constructed to prevent flooding from the sloping yard. The sump and the sand layers were covered by clay and stones (0.3–0.6m thick), which formed a base for the concrete yard surface. No finds of archaeological significance were recovered.
Unit 4, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14
