County: Laois Site name: Mountrath
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LA017–037 Licence number: 07E1169
Author: Denis Shine, Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd, Unit 4, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14.
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 635273m, N 694615m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.001092, -7.474502
CRDS Ltd have been retained by Laois County Council to act as the archaeological consultants on the Wastewater Improvement Scheme for County Laois, to be carried out in six towns or villages: Abbeyleix, Clonaslee, Durrow, Mountrath, Rathdowney and Stradbally. The development will consist in total of c. 15,000m of pipe trench and differs slightly for each location, with some of the sewer networks being upgraded or repaired. New treatment facilities have been proposed for each location. The scheme will also make river crossings in Abbeyleix, Clonaslee, Durrow, Mountrath and Stradbally. An assessment of the river crossing in Mountrath was completed by Aisling Collins of AUS (07D067 and 07R260).
In total c. 2000 linear metres will be laid in Mountrath. The scheme is largely within the confines of Mountrath town, LA017–037. Testing was undertaken on Shannon Street in advance of any development, due to the site’s proximity to possible town defences as displayed on a map of the town produced by T. Moland in 1730. It was also agreed at a later stage to monitor ten ground investigation slit trenches that were opened within the town.
Groundworks were completed over eight days in April 2008. Ten slit-trenches excavated within the town varied from 3m to 6m in length and were 0.4m in width. Features were noted in three trenches including a stone-capped drain or culvert, a mortar and charcoal dump/deposit and a metalled surface. The features are considered to be late in date. All were located to the western side of the Whitehouse River. As they were on the same route, which is not on a busy public road, it was recommended the features be re-exposed and fully resolved in advance of development.
A single test-trench was also excavated on Shannon Street c. 100m south-east of the town’s market square. The trench was c. 40m long and 0.6m wide. It was excavated to a depth of 0.45–0.9m. This trench revealed a series of deposits as well as two cobbled surfaces. The higher of these is considered to be late in date; this was a compact cobbled surface constructed on two thrown-down deposits. These sealed an organic layer which had accumulated over the second cobbled surface. A single sherd of manganese mottled pottery was recovered from this organic layer, probably dating the surface to the 17th or 18th century.
