2006:1099 - Tullaroan, Kilkenny

Some remedial work was being undertaken by the OPW at this recently registered national monument which involved a small amount of digging into a relatively recent build-up of material around the damaged decorative doorway in the western wall of Grace’s Chapel (founded 1543) in an attempt to locate and reuse original stones that may have been in the ground at that general location. There was also some work to be done to repair, help protect and display a series of decorated slabs and a tomb from the 13/14th to the 17th centuries. This work was to be monitored, with a photographic record kept.
Besides the human bones that were present in the redeposited graveyard soil, there were numerous associated finds, such as coffin fittings and fixtures, broken and intact glass bottles and jars and a shroud pin. There were also some pieces of worked stone recovered. It was later decided that the levels inside the chapel should be reduced from the doorway to the reconstructed altar tomb of Richard Grace FitzRobert and his wife Onner Shortall in the south-west corner, in order to provide safer access. Once this had been done, it was obvious that the area between the doorway into the chapel and the doorway through the south wall of the church should also be brought to similar levels. Some original stone roof-tile fragments were recovered from the excavations in this area.