2006:190 - The Garrison Bar, Main Street, Leighlinbridge, Carlow

Testing was undertaken at The Garrison Bar, Main Street, Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, as part of the preparation of an Archaeological Impact Assessment report with respect to the redevelopment of the site. The development area is located within the zone of archaeological potential established for Leighlinbridge. The site is located close to the site of the first Carmelite friary established in Ireland. This complex was later used as a military garrison and in the 16th century a defensive bawn wall was constructed, both associated with the garrison and the partially extant remains of a tower-house (Black Castle). The latter, which incorporates an earlier castle, was built adjacent to the River Barrow to provide a defence to the river crossing. The bawn wall is still partially extant, but in many areas portions have been rebuilt with a much narrower wall. Previous testing uncovered the subsurface foundation remains of the wall along part of the southern line of the enclosure (Excavations 2002, No. 48, 01E1226). The testing programme was undertaken in respect of the north-east corner of the enclosure.
Four trenches were excavated, two within the existing lounge bar area. The foundation/subsurface remains of the bawn wall were uncovered in all the trenches, although in some instances it appears to have been very much demolished. In addition, later 18th- or 19th-century walls were constructed along the line of the former bawn wall, using its subsurface remains for foundation support. The southern gable wall of a late 18th-/early 19th-century building was uncovered abutting the eastern face of the bawn wall in Trench 3. It is unclear whether the bawn wall served as the western side wall to this structure or whether the remains acted as a foundation bed to a replacement wall. In addition, clay sub-floor layers associated with this building were also uncovered, below which was a French drain, which ran under the foundations of the southern gable wall.
In general, the programme of testing indicates that the bawn wall was 1.5m wide in this area of the overall enclosure and that the subsurface remains were subsequently used for later walls, which were generally 0.6m in thickness. Following consultation with the National Monuments Section, DoE, H&LG it has been agreed in principle that the proposed development may straddle the subsurface remains of the bawn wall, similar to that of the existing structure, although further investigations will be required when the existing buildings are demolished.