2006:346 - O’Brien Street, Curragh, Kanturk, Cork

The proposed development site is located to the east of the River Dalua on the west side of O’Brien Street in the town of Kanturk. The site, in the townland of Curragh, falls within the zone of archaeological potential for a 19th-century footbridge and the site of a 17th-century cornmill. A corner of the site falls within the zone of potential for a second cornmill. The site comprises a supermarket on the northern side, with a petrol station to the south of the supermarket. The remainder of the site is used as a car sales forecourt and parking area. The original ground slopes down to the north and south of the site and westwards down to the river. However, the development site is flat. Local enquiries indicated that the majority of the development site stands on made-up ground. The single test-trench excavated on the site in August 2006, to the depth of the proposed foundation (1.2m), confirmed that the entire content of the trench to the base comprised rubble of modern origin. The trench was excavated along the line of the proposed foundation of the supermarket building extension. Deep excavation along the eastern part of the site took place when the petrol tanks and feeder pipes for the petrol station were inserted in the past. This ground had therefore already been disturbed to a substantial depth. A layer of concrete (0.25m thick) overlaid a rubble fill containing stone, brick, building rubble and metal car frames to the base of the trench. There were no archaeological finds or features noted in the test-trench.