2007:1061 - Killabban, Laois

Pre-development testing was carried out on the site of a proposed house at Killabban, Co. Laois, in February 2007. The development site is located within the area of constraint for LA026–013 (town). Killabban is the site of an early monastic settlement, founded by St Abban, and a medieval borough. The extant remains comprise a 13th-century church with later modifications. Curvilinear features are clearly visible to the north and south of the church on aerial photographs of the site. These features are probably associated with enclosing elements of the early monastery. The site of a motte is located further south of the church. An impact assessment prepared by the author in March 2006 recommended the establishment of a development-free buffer zone around the known and potential archaeological remains at the site. On foot of the assessment the development layout was redesigned and pre-development testing was subsequently requested as further information.
Testing comprised the excavation of seven trenches on the footprint of the proposed development. The trenches were 1.5m wide and varied from 6m to 28m in length. The stratigraphy was uniform across the tested area with 0.4m of topsoil overlying silty/clayey sands and gravel. Four shallow linear features were uncovered during testing. These were between 0.5m and 0.9m wide and contained generally sterile fills of similar composition to the topsoil. The features were interpreted as agricultural features. No archaeological material was uncovered.