2008:1151 - Carrick Street, Mullinahone, Tipperary

An excavation was undertaken at a proposed housing development site at Carrick Street, Mullinahone. The site is within the zone of archaeological potential for Mullinahone town. Mullinahone Castle is located in the north-west corner of the site, whilst a church site (in ruins) is located near its south-west corner.
Testing and a geophysical survey revealed features of archaeological potential. Accordingly the site was topsoil-stripped and excavation was undertaken. The site was located in a predominantly green area, although the western extent is within more of an urban context and in close proximity of the castle. Tradition associates Mullinahone Castle, which was also utilised as a monastery, with the Knights Templars.
By the time of the compilation of the OS Letters and Namebooks in the mid-19th century, the castle and chapel were in ruins. Based on the evidence gained from the excavation, in conjunction with documentary sources, the following evolution of this site is proposed.
The castle was built in the 13th/14th century, probably by the Knights Templars, and used as a preceptory, with the chapel to the south-east. As part of these works, the surrounding land was cleared of vegetation, resulting in the felling of trees which would have been utilised for building, whilst waste wood would have been bunt in situ. Although the castle was built on a natural stone outcrop, the ground to the east is more elevated, which could have had drainage issues. Thus, a linear ditch which was uncovered is considered a drainage ditch to alleviate flooding from the higher ground. (This was also the location of a number of modern drains with the same function.) The drain has been sited in a slight natural gully, which may have been more pronounced during the medieval period. As it extended westwards, two earlier pits were encountered. To ensure a steady drainage flow, without the build up of stagnating water, these ditches were infilled. Included within this fill was the burnt waste wood of a tree felled in land clearance as well as some surface remains of a recently broken jug. This would account for sherds from the same vessel ending up in two different features and two separately sealed layers.
The fact that the head of a ‘croppy’, Daniel Norton, was hung on a spike on the battlements in 1798 strongly implies the castle was still occupied at that time. However, it was in ruins and the adjacent area quarried by 1843, when the surveyors of the OS reached Mullinahone. It is considered the quarried stone was for the two large barns, which were within the previously undisturbed ground within the excavation site before their demolition and removal to another area, and possibly for the development of the town. No foundations pertaining to the barn were found during the excavation; however, the very compact nature of the natural clay would have more than an adequate building base. Partial robbing of the castle stone could also have been included in this project. This resulted in the destruction of the medieval features and deposits within this area. It may also have been when a new field system was laid upon the landscape, which included the now-defunct field boundary.
At some point in the latter half of the 19th century, the ground around the castle was infilled with demolition debris and rubbish, mixed with waste soil within the town.
Around the turn of the 20th century concerted horticultural activity commenced in the south-western part of the site, including the laying of a stone surface, possibly to support the superstructure for a pigsty(s), as well as possibly the row of mature trees planted. This also resulted in a number of large drains being cut to alleviate seasonal flooding. A later series of drains were cut around the middle of the last century as a further attempt to drain the land, which also saw the advent of the tennis club in another part of the site. During the latter years of the century, the area around the carpark, which is located at the front (facing Carrick Street), was topsoil-stripped, levelled with modern building debris and covered in tarmac to facilitate a carpark for the public house to the north-west of the chapel.
Of all features identified and excavated, three proved to be of medieval provenance: a ditch and the two pits. The Hearth Roll survey of the 17th century stated the main settlement was on the west side of the river, with limited habitation to the east. This tends to support the results of the excavation. The field boundary is considered post-medieval only because it is known to be pre-1843; apart from which only the pit cluster in Area B were confirmed as of post-medieval date. All other features can be dated to the last 200 years.