County: Louth Site name: Rathdowney
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LA028–055 Licence number: 07E1170
Author: Denis Shine, Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd, Unit 4, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14.
Site type: Urban
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 628184m, N 678318m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.855051, -7.581519
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. The scheme will make river crossings in Abbeyleix, Clonaslee, Durrow, Mountrath and Stradbally. New treatment facilities have also been proposed for each location. In total c. 2000m will be laid in Rathdowney.
The scheme crosses the constraint ring of a church site (LA020–055). Testing was undertaken at this location in advance of works. Two linear test-trenches were excavated on the site on 12 February 2008. These were 10m in length and 0.6m wide and were excavated to the level of natural subsoil at 0.23–0.45m in depth. No features or finds of archaeological significance were uncovered during the test excavation.
