2004:0937 - RAHIN, Ballynan, Laois

Testing was undertaken at a proposed development site at Rahin, Ballylynan. The proposed development lands consist of three fields bounded to the north by Rahin Lane, to the south by an existing residential development, to the west by undeveloped agricultural lands and to the east by the rear of properties which front onto Ballylynan's Main Street. According to Feehan (1983, 378) 'when the Weldon estate came into being at the end of the seventeenth century, Ballylynan was a small cluster of cottages hardly deserving the name of a village. It owes its development to two factors: the proximity of Raheen House, the hub of the Weldon Estate, and the increasing importance of the Athy–Castlecomer road in the eighteenth century with the growth of the collieries. Along this the village spread... but in 1801, when Mr. Grace's cotton factory was in production at Ballylynan, his was still "the only good dwelling-house in the town".'

There are no known features of archaeological interest within the boundaries of the subject lands. However, a church and graveyard (SMR 26:3) are located to the immediate north of part of the site. There is a modern graveyard extension situated immediately to the west of the site.

A total of 21 trenches were excavated within the boundaries of the site. All were c. 1.1m wide and were excavated by machine, following which the sides and bases were hand-cleaned. In general, the topsoil, which was c. 0.1–0.32m in thickness and consisted of a mid-brown sandy silty clay with pebbles and cobbles, and occasional small stones dispersed randomly throughout. This generally lay directly upon a compact grey/brown silty clay, which was 'tacky' in form and included moderate amounts of pebbles, cobbles and small stones, with occasional medium-sized stones dispersed randomly throughout. However, in the lower-lying areas of the site, the topsoil lay on an orange/brown silty clay, with moderate amounts of pebbles, cobbles and small-medium stones and occasional large stones dispersed randomly throughout. Both of the layers uncovered below the topsoil/plough-zone horizon were investigated to a maximum depth of 1.2m and their undisturbed and sterile nature indicated that they represent 'natural' subsoils.

No features of archaeological interest were uncovered during testing. Five sherds of pottery, of probable late-medieval date, were recovered. These have been submitted for specialist analysis and reporting.

Reference
Feehan, J. 1983 Laois: an environmental history. Co. Laois.

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