2004:0900 - KILKENNY: St Francis Abbey Brewery, Kilkenny

The brewery at the medieval St Francis' Abbey is situated within the zone of archaeological potential for Kilkenny city. It also contains a portion of the Breagagh walls, the medieval walls which bounded the Breagagh as it passes through the grounds of the brewery.

The proposed drainage remediation works at the brewery entail the installation of new linings into all existing pipe works, the insertion of new drainage and diversions, chambers and an oil interceptor tank. Existing manholes will be relined or replaced using pre-cast concrete or steel. Production at the brewery will continue during the works.

Of the drainage remediation, as originally envisaged six sections of the work were seen as having archaeological implications. Of these, two have been completed and the results of the monitoring are outlined below. No works have been carried out in the immediate vicinity of the Franciscan church. Inspection to date has shown that the entire site has been substantially raised using imported material, probably in the 20th century. Preexisting drainage works in the central portion of the site have truncated the remains of a probable medieval millstream. The limestone masonry arch revealed during works in 2004 appears to represent 19th-century activity on the site and was not damaged by the new effluent drainage works. Work carried out to record the remains of the arch was curtailed due to safety constraints.

Inspection in the area along the southern bank of the Breagagh River revealed possible residual remains, in the form of limestone building rubble, of the 18th-century horse barracks. Nothing structural was revealed. Monitoring is ongoing at the site.

27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2