2003:0043 - CARLOW: Water Lane, Kennedy Street, Carlow

Testing was undertaken at a site at Water Lane, Kennedy Street, Carlow, from 20 to 23 November 2003, in advance of a planning application for a town-centre development. The proposed development will also involve the demolition of an old mill in the south-west area of the site and of some two- and three-storey buildings on the street front. The site is within the zone of archaeological potential for Carlow (SMR 7:18), and is located to the east of Carlow Castle; the line of the town defences is thought to have extended across the site from north to south from Kennedy Street to the River Burrin.

Four test-trenches were excavated. Testing was hampered in all areas by the rapid flooding of the trenches and by the extensive disturbance of the site by foundation structures which occurred at close intervals. The rapid flooding of the trenches is a reflection of the fact that the site is located in an area of reclaimed land. However, in spite of such obstacles, a good picture of the stratigraphy of the site was obtained and this corresponds with the known history of the site, in that it appeared to consist purely of ground fill with conspicuously little habitation debris. A grey-blue river gravel was encountered at a depth of approximately 2.3m beneath the present ground surface. This depth varied only insignificantly in the different test-trenches.

The wall foundations associated with the structures indicated on the OS 6-inch map were frequently encountered within the test-trenches and these could be seen to post-date a dark silty material. This dark silty material was otherwise difficult to date, because of the paucity of occupation debris contained within it. It produced a small quantity of animal bone and three clay-pipe stems, which are difficult to date, but, in general, the infrequency of occupation debris was noteworthy and probably reflects the fact that the area was reclaimed from the marsh in relatively recent times and possibly never supported occupation in any real sense of the term.

A stone structure was identified in Trenches 3 and 4. This extended eastwards from the mill wall for a distance of 10.5m and its northern and southern edges corresponded in location with the respective sides of an arch which was incorporated into the wall of the mill building. It is possible that this structure represents a culvert for the channelling of a stream which may have run beneath this part of the mill; such a stream is suggested in a corresponding location by 6-inch OS maps. This structure may originally have continued further eastwards.

There was no sign of a town wall identified in any of the test-trenches.

31 Millford, Athgarvan, Co. Kildare