2005:1415 - MAIN STREET, CASHEL, Tipperary

Monitoring of the excavation of trial pits and trenches on Main Street, Cashel, as part of initial preliminary investigative works was conducted within the urban zone of Cashel between 7 March and 7 April 2005. The works encompassed an area c. 90m long by 35m wide at the north-east end, tapering to 25m in width at the south-west end.
Archaeological material found in the course of the work consisted mainly of deposits of medieval occupation debris containing animal bone, oyster shells and pottery. The butchery marks on one pig bone and also the ages of the various animals indicate their use as a food source and also for breeding, traction and milk and wool production. The oyster shells and one fish bone recovered indicate a variety of food in the medieval diet. The artefacts appear to have been deposited as everyday medieval household rubbish. These and other, more perishable, materials were often simply left in the street or buried in rubbish pits in gardens during the medieval period. This type of activity over time produced the accumulated deposits found under Main Street. The archaeological deposits have been cut through by a large number of service trenches, including water, ESB, sewage, telecom and gas. The archaeology thus survives in linear strips between service trenches. It was not necessary during this phase to excavate the exposed archaeological material, as the investigative works did not interfere with any of the truncated deposits.