2006:173 - Mill Lane/Skinners Lane, Carlow, Carlow

An assessment including test-trenches was undertaken in April 2004 by Catherine McLoughlin at a site located c. 30m west of Carlow Castle and c. 70m south-east of Graigue Bridge, the historic crossing point of the River Barrow in Carlow town (Excavations 2004, No. 92, 04E0499). In the course of this testing, some evidence of archaeological potential was found, including several pieces of worked wood, which was interpreted at the time as a quay or jetty associated with the use of the castle. It was recommended that these features be excavated in advance of site preparations and construction work.
Following an agreed methodology, the excavation was carried out in July 2006. A trench of 20m2 was cleared of modern fill; c. 1m of chipped stone deposited within the last few years overlay c. 1m of mixed soil and demolition debris. The sides of this trench were stepped and sloped for reasons of safety, so the area of excavation was c. 15m2. Part of this area had been subject to test-trenches. The excavation did not reveal evidence for the postulated quay or jetty of medieval date. It appears that timbers, which were found in the course of the 2006 testing, were a similar series of timbers to those found in 2004. Three trenches were machine cut and of relatively modern date and were found at the base of the landfill in the excavation. Several deposits of reeds and rushes also occurred at this level. The deposits appear to result from the incorporation of organic material (growing naturally in the riverbank environment) into the infill used to raise the ground from the 18th century onwards. Some material was associated with plastic and suggests a more modern infilling or disturbance of parts of the area in modern times. Organic material of this type recorded by McLoughlin in 2004 may have been a similar deposit.
Four features were recorded in the excavation: two were concentrations of mineral staining in the gravel and two were features resulting from human activity. One feature was a deposit of post-medieval to modern date (17th–18th-century) and the other was an area of in situ burning, possibly a temporary campfire or bonfire. No artefacts were associated with the fire site. There was no evidence for post-holes or settings to confine the fire. It is interpreted as a one-off fire of unknown date lit on the riverbank.
The presence of some feature of archaeological potential meant it was considered necessary for soil removal from the proposed basement to be monitored. Accordingly, when this was carried out in October 2006, the area was constantly monitored. No material of archaeological significance was recorded in the course of the monitoring. A dump of 19th-century ceramic stoneware bottles was the only material of any significance found.