County: Limerick Site name: KILMALLOCK: Wolfe Tone Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E0263
Author: Miriam Carroll, Tobar Archaeological Services
Site type: Town defences
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 561036m, N 627769m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.400060, -8.572556
Testing of a proposed development site at Wolfe Tone Street, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick, was undertaken as part of an impact assessment. The site is located within the medieval town wall, a standing portion of which forms the south-eastern boundary to the development area. The testing was largely concerned with the exposure in full and investigation of a wall (possible town wall) identified during previous testing of the site (Excavations 2003, No. 1166, 03E0777).
Two cuttings were opened on the site in which a total length of c. 24m of the medieval town wall was exposed. Two sections were excavated against the inner and outer face of the wall. The cut of the wall foundation trench was identified in the section excavated against the inner wall face and sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from the fill. A roughly semicircular or D-shaped area of rubble and earth was identified immediately north-east of the wall and may represent the remains of a rubble foundation for a structure such as a corner tower.
A number of other test-trenches also excavated on the site revealed the presence of post-medieval features further to the north of the town wall, as well as archaeological deposits of possible medieval date further to the south and south-west.
15 Willowfields, Ladysbridge, Castlemartyr, Co. Cork
