County: Laois Site name: Donaghmore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 06E0571
Author: Tim Coughlan, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 9 Albert Terrace, Meath Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 626929m, N 680253m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.872500, -7.600000
Pre-development testing was undertaken at Donaghmore, Co. Laois, prior to the construction of a proposed pump-house, as part of the south Leinster sater supply scheme. The site is in the immediate vicinity of a 19th-century workhouse graveyard. Test-trenching took place at the site on 9 August 2006 using a JCB excavator with a flat, toothless bucket. Four trenches were investigated across the test area. Because of the location of the existing pump-house, an associated well and a water pipeline extending from the pump-house, the test-trenches had to be placed around the extremities of the site.
The results of the test-trenching did not identify any features of archaeological significance. There was no evidence that there is any material associated with the burial-ground located to the north-west of the site present within the test area. The trenches did show evidence that there has been a significant amount of clays – possible building or land-clearance debris – dumped across the site.
