County: Kilkenny Site name: AGHAVILLER
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 31:30 Licence number: 05E1317
Author: Emma Devine, for Kilkenny Archaeology, Threecastles, Co. Kilkenny.
Site type: Ecclesiastical remains
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 649695m, N 635245m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.466390, -7.268636
An impact assessment was undertaken of a proposed development area located in the townland of Aghaviller, directly adjacent to the constraint area of ecclesiastical remains. Although nothing of archaeological potential was noted in the first two test-trenches, corresponding to the location of the proposed extension, quite substantial archaeological remains were encountered in Trench 3 and possible archaeological remains in Trench 4.
Trench 3 revealed a gully running east–west that appeared to be filled with kiln material, indicating industrial activity. A second feature was also located within the trench, a sizeable ditch/boundary running north–south with stone revetting on its eastern side. The first-edition OS map of 1841 shows a small subrectangular enclosure surrounding the monument, but the ditch/boundary in Trench 3 does not correspond with this. The presence of a round tower within the ecclesiastical remains is suggestive of a relatively high-status ecclesiastical/monastic foundation dating back to Early Christian times. It is thought then that the ditch/boundary may represent a small part of a ditch that delimited the extent of a second, outer enclosure, a common feature of high-status ecclesiastical sites.
It was recommended that no unnecessary ground disturbance or construction be undertaken in the identified archaeologically sensitive areas.
