2006:10556 - KILKENNY: Former Union Workhouse, John Street/Dublin Road, Kilkenny

From January to June 2006 excavations were carried out at a mid-19th-century burial-ground adjacent to the former Kilkenny Union Workhouse, and now part of the ‘McDonagh Junction’ development at the junction of John Street and Dublin Road, Kilkenny. The burial-ground was unrecorded and unmarked at this location, in the north-eastern corner of the workhouse grounds. Excavation followed on from monitoring and test assessment, carried out by Kilkenny Archaeology in 2005 (05E0435).

Work revealed an isolated cremation burial deposit of probable Bronze Age date. Analysis of the deposit and associated pottery is ongoing at the time of writing.

The next phase of activity was represented by a 19th-century burial-ground which truncated the prehistoric remains. The burial-ground was located c. 35m to the north-east of the workhouse infirmary building, occupying an area measuring 39m north–south by 14.5m.

Excavation revealed a total of 62 complete or partial subrectangular pits. Human skeletal remains were found in 61 pits. nineteen pits were truncated and or compacted by modern activity. Three of those pits were also contaminated with diesel. The complete pits measured c. 1.5m in length and 1.5–2.5m in width and were revealed roughly arranged in rows aligned south-west–north-east. The depth of the pits varied from 0.45m (truncated) to a maximum depth of 1.2m. All the pits were dug through the natural silt subsoil to an underlying layer of free-draining gravel.

Preliminary assessment during excavation, based on the obvious traits of the 846 largely complete skeletons, indicated that there were 385 adults, 306 juveniles and 155 infants. All but four of the burials were positioned with the head to the south-west and the feet to the north-east. Within each burial pit the number of interments varied from nine to 25 individuals, laid out in rows of three or four and buried four to six deep.

All the individuals were carefully buried in coffins. In some cases fragments of coffin wood, possibly pine, survived. Heavily corroded iron coffin nails were evident in the soil around the burials.

The pits were backfilled with a mixture of topsoil, silty subsoil and underlying gravel. Inclusions of lime and sulphur (brimstone) were recorded in the soil.

No shroud material or clothing survived, although a number of textile pouches containing rosaries were found. Other personal items recovered included copper finger rings and religious medals. This material evidence combined with the recovered pottery, glass and clay pipe confirmed a broadly mid-19th-century date for the burials. A clear connection with the adjacent workhouse confirmed a date of after 1842. Historical research indicates a date between 1845 and 1850 for the interments.

Osteoarchaeological analysis is ongoing at the time of writing. It is expected that a final report on the findings will issue in 2008.

27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2