2005:1580 - MULLINGAR: Blackhall Street/Dominick Place/County Buildings, Westmeath

Testing took place between 14 March and 8 April 2005 at Blackhall Street carpark/Dominick Place and County Buildings, Mullingar, in advance of possible future development. All nine trenches were excavated with the assistance of a track machine with a 2m-wide toothless bucket. Trenches 1–4 measured 10m by 2m, Trench 6 was 7.2m by 2m, Trench 7 was 10m by 1.45m; Trench 8 was split into three small individual trenches. These measured (8a) 3.5m by 2m, (8b) 3.5m by 2m and (8c) 2.5m by 2m. Trench 9 measured 16m by 2m and Trench 10 measured 9.5m by 2m. Trenches 1–4 were opened to investigate the possible site of the town defences and the location of the site of a possible castle. Trenches 5–7 and 10 were to investigate the site of structures depicted on the 1837 Fair Plan. Trenches 8 and 9 were located inside the southern limits of the proposed development and were to investigate the site of the motte, bailey and mill.

In Trench 1 the remains of a wall orientated east–west were found c. 0.58m below the surface of the carpark. No datable evidence was obtained from this wall. It is possible that it is of post-medieval date and may have been one of many buildings facing onto Blackhall Street in the 18th and 19th century. Positioned on the southern side of the wall was a possible surface or floor associated with the wall adjacent to it. Running parallel to the wall was what appeared to be a shallow gully or robbed-out wall trench, probably of post-medieval date.

In Trench 2 the remains of a wall orientated east–west were recorded. No datable finds were retrieved but it may be of post-medieval date and form one part of many buildings facing onto Blackhall street in the 18th and 19th century. A subrectangular pit was beneath the wall. It produced animal bone, a medieval pottery sherd and a large medieval glazed floor tile fragment. Positioned in the centre of the trench was a substantial cobbled surface. The western half of a subcircular pit was also recorded. This pit was partially covered by a portion of collapsed wall to the south.

In Trench 3 a broad linear ditch, orientated east–west, was identified. It was also picked up in Trench 4. It had a width of c. 5.5m and a depth of 1.1–1.6m. Inclusions of animal bone, charcoal and shell/molluscs were recorded. Although there were no finds from the fills of the ditch in this trench, its size and stratigraphical depth would suggest some form of possible medieval defensive ditch.

The ditch that was picked up in Trench 3 was also recorded in Trench 4. It had a width of c. 4.1m. This ditch appears to run in an east–west orientation. It may be associated with the ditch picked up by Martin Fitzpatrick in 2000 (Excavations 2000, No. 1022, 00E0781). It possibly played some part in the defence of the town or alternatively was used during the encampment of the Williamite forces in the 1690s, although no ditch feature is indicated on the 1691 map of Mullingar.

Trench 5 was not opened, as its investigation at the entrance to a cul de sac would have prevented access for a number of occupants to their homes and workplaces.

A grave containing two adult inhumations, one disarticulated and one articulated, was found in Trench 6. It appeared as though the original burial had been removed to accommodate the placing of the second burial in the grave. The extended inhumation was orientated east–west and was adjacent to the 13th-century Dominican abbey’s cemetery site, excavated by Rob Lynch in 2003, that produced c. 160 burials (Excavations 2003, No. 1992, 03E1108). There were no finds with the remains.

Two modern glass refuse pits were recorded in Trench 7. No archaeological evidence for any structural remains or features was recorded in Trench 8a. Trench 8b, 3.2m north of Trench 8a, produced evidence for modern dumping of waste material prior to artificial raising of the ground level. No evidence for any structural remains or features was recorded within this trench. Trench 8c was 6.2m north of Trench 8b. No evidence for any structural remains or features was recorded here.

In Trench 9, one silty deposit had the appearance of a naturally accumulated layer arising from the silting of a possible flood-plain or riverbed. It may therefore be the remnants of an old orientation of the River Brosna. No evidence for archaeological material was recorded here or in Trench 10.

In conclusion, five of the nine trenches investigated produced remains of archaeological significance (Trenches 1–4, 6). These included structural remains in Trenches 1 and 2, a large possibly defensive ditch in Trenches 3 and 4 and two inhumation burials in Trench 6. Several buildings have been recorded as being located on this site, which would account for the remains. The cemetery attached to the Dominican priory is represented by the inhumation in Trench 6. It is likely that the structural remains recorded in Trenches 1 and 2 are of a post-medieval date (18th–19th century) and possibly represent the remnants of stone structures originally facing onto Blackhall Street, as seen in the 1837 Fair Plan. Trenches 3 and 4 produced evidence for a large ditch, possibly agricultural in nature, with an uncertain date.

Brehon House, Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny