2007:1720 - Roscrea, Tipperary

Pre-development testing was carried out in advance of the Roscrea broadband project on 8 October 2007. The excavation phase of the project involved the opening of a series of trenches throughout the town centre and its surrounding hinterland. All of the trenches were located along roads, either in the carriageway proper or the adjoining verge or footpath. There were no river crossings other than at existing bridges. The trenches were 0.6m wide and excavated to a standard depth of 0.9m in carriageways and 0.6m in verges/footpaths. Junction boxes (1.25m2) were excavated where two or more trenches intersected and at regular intervals along long straight sections. All of the works within the area of archaeological constraint surrounding the historic town were monitored on a full-time basis. The remainder of the works were subject to intermittent monitoring.
Testing comprised the excavation of two trenches on Abbey Street to the north of the Franciscan friary and two on Castle Street to the north of Roscrea Castle. The trenches on Abbey Street revealed road construction layers (combined thickness of 0.3m) overlying orange/brown sandy clay redeposit which extended to the base of the trenches at 0.9m below street level. Trenching on Castle Street revealed undisturbed subsoil at a depth of 0.3m. No archaeological material was uncovered during testing.