County: Laois Site name: Stradbally
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LA014–03901, LA014–03902, LA014–03904 Licence number: 07E1168
Author: Aaron Johnston, for Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd, Archaeological and Historical Consultants, Unit 4, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dub
Site type: Medieval burials, post-medieval structures/ditches/ pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 657248m, N 696444m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.015636, -7.146823
Pre-development testing was undertaken within a section of the development corridor for the proposed Laois Towns and Villages Wastewater Improvement Scheme in Stradbally, Co Laois. The works were carried out over two days, 14–15 January 2008. Testing was undertaken here as a desk-based assessment (Doherty, B. 2007, Dominic Delany & Associates) identified this particular section of the development corridor as being of significant archaeological potential due to the close proximity of the planned pipeline route to the site of several structures listed, including the sites of an abbey (LA014–03901), castle (LA014–03902) and a fortified house (LA014–03904).
The investigations were undertaken to confirm whether any archaeological remains were located in this c. 150m section of the pipeline route and its associated wayleave. It is estimated that the proposed pipe trench will measure between 1m and 1.2m in width and require an associated machine wayleave of up to 5–10m in width during its construction phase.
A single linear test-trench was excavated along the approximate line of the proposed pipeline route. Several archaeological features were exposed, most notably eight poorly preserved burials. The time span allocated for testing permitted only a provisional assessment of the features exposed. These consisted of two large ditches, a cobbled surface, a wall foundation, two very large pits filled with post-medieval and modern building rubble as well as the burials. The burials were exposed immediately to the north of an abandoned house which may incorporate the remains of the abbey and fortified house. The burials are presumably associated with the abbey, suggesting a possible late medieval date. Nearly all of the burials appeared to have been previously disturbed and truncated by early 20th-century drainage and construction works.
